Pakistan

Pakistan is a state party to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, and has participated in all CCW meetings on autonomous weapons systems. Pakistan supports the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems. Pakistan was the first state to call for a ban on the use of autonomous weapons systems, at a 2013 UN Human Rights Council meeting.^[1]See: Human Rights Watch (2020), Stopping Killer Robots: Country positions on banning fully autonomous weapons and retaining human control, … Continue reading

In December 2025, Pakistan voted in favour of UN General Assembly Resolution 80/57 on lethal autonomous weapons systems. Mindful of the challenges and concerns autonomous weapons systems raise from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives, Resolution 80/57 stresses the urgent need for the CCW to address the challenges and concerns posed by autonomous weapons systems, and calls upon the High Contracting Parties of the CCW to ‘work towards completing the set of elements for an instrument being developed within the mandate of the Group of Governmental Experts, with a view to future negotiation.’

At the CCW GGE on LAWS in September 2025, Pakistan joined a group of 42 states delivering a joint statement calling for the group to begin negotiations of an instrument on the basis of its ‘rolling text,’ and stating that they were ready to do this.

At the 79th UN General Assembly First Committee in October 2024, Pakistan voted in favour of Draft Resolution L.77 on lethal autonomous weapons systems. Draft Resolution L.77 raises concerns about the ‘negative consequences and impact of autonomous weapon systems on global security and regional and international stability’ and stresses ‘the importance of the role of humans in the use of force to ensure responsibility and accountability and for States to comply with international law.’ It also notes ‘the repeated calls by the Secretary-General to urgently conclude negotiations of a legally binding instrument with prohibitions and regulations for autonomous weapons systems, in line with a two-tier approach.’ The Resolution will convene open informal consultations in 2025 over two days in New York, ‘to consider the report of the Secretary-General in full complementarity with and in a manner that supports the fulfilment of the mandate of the Group of Governmental Experts in order to further the international community’s understanding of the issues involved by discussing the full range of views received, including proposals and relevant aspects raised in the report that may thus far not have been discussed in detail in the Group of Governmental Experts.’

Pakistan made a submission to the UN Secretary-General pursuant to Resolution 78/241 on autonomous weapons systems in May 2024.

In April 2024, Pakistan endorsed the Chair’s Summary of the 2024 Vienna conference ‘Humanity at the Crossroads: Autonomous Weapons Systems and the Challenge of Regulation’ . The Chair’s Summary affirms the ‘strong commitment’ of the endorsing states to ‘work with urgency and with all interested stakeholders for an international legal instrument to regulate autonomous weapons systems.’

In December 2023, Pakistan voted in support of UN General Assembly Resolution 78/241 on lethal autonomous weapons systems. Resolution 78/241 stressed the ‘urgent need for the international community to address the challenges and concerns raised by autonomous weapons systems’, and mandated the UN Secretary-General to prepare a report, reflecting the views of member and observer states on autonomous weapons systems and ways to address the related challenges and concerns they raise from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives and on the role of humans in the use of force.

Pakistan stated during the First Committee in 2023 that ‘the ongoing work within the ambit of the CCW on LAWS should continue with an aim to develop international rules through a new Protocol. Such a Protocol would need to clearly spell out prohibitions and regulations governing autonomous weapon systems to ensure compliance with the International Humanitarian Law and consistency with the objectives and purposes of the CCW.’^[2]Statement by Pakistan, UNGA First Committee, 23 October 2023, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com23/statements/23Oct_Pakistan.pdfExplaining its vote on the resolution on LAWS, Pakistan said ‘the work of the CCW on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) with other disarmament bodies can and should play a complementary role to address the broader issues of artificial intelligence in military application in a way that builds positive synergies while avoiding duplication. The scale of the challenges resulting from the use of AI for military purposes including in weapon systems, necessitates a multifaceted and holistic multilateral response within the UN machinery. For this reason my delegation has vote in favour of the resolution.’^[3]Statement by Pakistan, UNGA First Committee, 01 November 2023. https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1t/k1t5mdoxcp

At the 2023 CCW GGE on LAWS, Pakistan stated that ‘The GGE’s outcome must explicitly outlaw those weapon systems which are not compliant with IHL principles and rules; further, for systems which are not prohibited, adequate rules must be evolved to ensure that the development, deployment, and potential use of these weapons strictly conforms to IHL principles and rules, as well as the imperatives of security and stability at all levels. On account of these considerations, there is a clear case for developing an international legal instrument envisaging prohibitions and regulations on the development, deployment and use’ of autonomous weapons.^[4]Statement by Pakistan, CCW GGE on LAWS, 6 March … Continue reading

In a lengthy statement on autonomous weapons at the 77th UN General Assembly First Committee in October 2022, Pakistan said that ‘The development of lethal autonomous weapon systems has emerged as perhaps the defining concern on the international arms control agenda along with weapons of mass destruction’, and expressed its dismay that ‘a handful of states continue to stall meaningful progress on the normative track and overtly oppose the development of internationally agreed legal norms, rules or regulations to govern the design, development and use of these weapon systems.’ Pakistan also reiterated its ‘call on such states to lift their opposition to the urgent commencement of negotiations on a legally binding instrument stipulating appropriate prohibitions and restrictions on LAWS.'^[5]Statement by Pakistan, 77th UN General Assembly First Committee, 24 October 2022, https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1s/k1s8hkl4pp; please note that this link leads to the full recording of the relevant … Continue reading At the same meeting, Pakistan also said that ‘We are deeply concerned by attempts to impede progress on development of an international legal framework on lethal autonomous weapons systems. We call for immediate commencement of negotiations to regulate their production, deployment, and use.'^[6]Statement by Pakistan, 77th UN General Assembly First Committee, 20 October 2022, https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1o/k1o8qmabgj; please note that this link leads to the full recording of the relevant … Continue reading

At the Sixth Review Conference of the CCW in December 2021, Pakistan stated that the ‘unique nature and characteristics’ of autonomous weapons systems ‘warrants further development of corresponding, legally binding international rules,’ and that Pakistan favours continuation of the work of CCW Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (GGE on LAWS) ‘with a mandate to negotiate a legally binding protocol, governing prohibitions, restrictions, as well as regulations of these weapon systems.’^[7]Statement by Pakistan, Sixth Review Conference of the CCW, 13 December 2021, http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/RCHCP6-13-12-2021-AM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to the full … Continue reading

Pakistan has stated that given the various dimensions of autonomous weapons systems, including their ‘potentially devastating and destabilising effects, and the absence of global norms, rules and regulations to limit, regulate or prohibit their development and use’, such systems ‘need to be addressed in a holistic manner.’^[8]Statement by Pakistan, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 24 September 2021, http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-24-09-2021-PM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to the full … Continue reading Pakistan has also consistently expressed its concern regarding the potential impact of autonomous weapons systems on ‘regional and international peace, security and stability’^[9]Statement by Pakistan, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 27 September 2021, http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-27-09-2021-AM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to the full … Continue reading, and noted at the 2021 UN General Assembly First Committee that ‘the development and potential deployment of autonomous weapons carries serious implications for international humanitarian law’.^[10]Statement by Pakistan, UN General Assembly First Committee, 12 October 2021, https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1d/k1d8072kfx; please note that this link leads to the full recording of the relevant … Continue reading Pakistan stated that the ‘destination’ of the work of the GGE on LAWS ‘should remain creating international rules which plug the gaps in regulations surrounding such weapons.’^[11]Statement by Pakistan, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 01 October 2021, http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-01-10-2021-PM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to the full … Continue reading