ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday warned that a sharp rise in global military spending, driven by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), is accelerating a new arms race internationally with potentially grave consequences for global security.
The remarks were delivered by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, during the General Debate of the UN Disarmament Commission’s 2025 session.
Established in 1978 following the First Special Session of the UN General Assembly devoted to disarmament, the commission was tasked with formulating proposals on nuclear disarmament and preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. However, it has made little tangible progress over the decades and has often been criticized for its inability to produce concrete results.
“We are witnessing unprecedented increase in military spending in recent memory, fueling ever-increasing arms race now turbocharged by technological advancements,” Ahmad said, according to an official statement. “The relentless pursuit of power and geopolitical competition has intensified in recent years, taking us further away from this important international priority.”
The Pakistani envoy emphasized the urgent need for effective international measures to halt the development and use of advanced weapons technologies that could further destabilize global security.
He warned that such advancements were extending the arms race into new frontiers, including outer space, cyberspace and the world’s oceans.
“Artificial intelligence is fast becoming a pervasive feature of our daily lives with profound impact on international peace and security,” Ahmad continued, adding that the military application of AI posed a range of challenges – security, operational, ethical and legal – particularly regarding compliance with international humanitarian law.
The Pakistani diplomat cautioned the unchecked spread of AI-powered autonomous weapons could spark fresh arms races and destabilize both regional and global security environments.
“It is imperative to ensure that AI does not become another area of ongoing arms race with huge implications for global peace and security,” he said, calling for a “multifaceted, holistic and multilateral response.”
Ahmad said the UN should play a central role in shaping a coordinated global approach to the challenges posed by military AI technologies, and expressed Pakistan’s readiness to cooperate with it over the issue.
Pakistan warns of surging global military spending, arms race fueled by AI
https://arab.news/69cnx
Pakistan warns of surging global military spending, arms race fueled by AI
- Pakistan’s envoy at the UN calls for a halt to the development, use of advanced weapons technologies
- Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad urges safeguards to prevent AI from fueling a new global arms race
PIA denies social media claim its entire flight crew went missing abroad
- Airline says the allegation emerged from ‘anti-Pakistan quarters’ to defame both the national carrier
- Some social media posts recently said a PIA flight crew had gone missing during a layover in Toronto
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Sunday dismissed as “fake news” a social media claim that the entire crew of one of its flights had disappeared overseas, saying the post was circulated to defame both the national carrier and the country.
The statement came after social media posts said a PIA flight crew had gone missing during a layover in Toronto, Canada.
Previously, there have been reports that individual crew members have used layovers to remain abroad, often linked by analysts to economic conditions at home and perceived asylum opportunities under Canada’s immigration policies. However, PIA has adopted measures such as holding passports with station managers and assigning older crew to Canada routes to curb the trend.
“A tweet, circulated by certain anti-Pakistan quarters, claiming that the whole crew of a particular #PIA flight is missing, is entirely baseless,” the airline announced in a post on X, adding that the purpose of the message “seems to malign PIA and #Pakistan.”
“There has been no such incident, and the news is fake,” it said.
According to local media reports, the information had been circulated by an “Afghan and anti-Pakistan account.”
“The misleading tweet is part of a well-conceived plan based on hostility toward Pakistan and is aimed at damaging the reputation of the national airline and the country,” Pakistan’s English-language broadsheet, Dawn, quoted the airline spokesperson as saying.
Pakistan has been striving to privatize PIA along with other state-owned enterprises under an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan program.
The airline was banned from operating in Britain and Europe, though those restrictions have been removed more recently.
