Why Pakistan Failed As a Federal State

Two aspects played a vital role for undue involvement of Centre and for the
failure of federalism in Pakistan as uncertainties and confusion surrounded
since the independence.

Firstly, Pakistan ran for very long without any constitutional setup from the very
start till the period the political system was virtually turned into a unitary system.

Secondly, while setting up the constitution, the balance of power was

tremendously shifted in favor of the central government. Pakistan faced lack of a
democratic representation and remained under the non-democratic military rule
for a long period. So, under such political setup, the Centre's role became
dominant over the affairs of the units, and the principles of federalism were
discouraged.

Pakistan's failure to develop an organic federal covenant is based on a number

of interrelated variables which are detailed below.

Political and Social Exclusion

So far, Pakistan has neither proved to be a federal state in a true sense. There is
a large gap between how the bureaucrats and elite see the country and how
common man of remote areas sees and feels the country. Elections do held in
Pakistan but true freedoms that are part and parcel of democracy continue to
remain absent. The bureaucracy though it be the military or civil, along with the
elite class feels that it is they who know how run the affairs of the state and that
they have every right to rule. Access to political and economic power now
remains the privilege of the urban upper-middle class. Society, ethnicity, and
religion also continue to serve as instruments of marginalization, from which
depleted economic strength of religious and ethnic minorities as well as the
lower-ranked hereditary occupational groups suffer. (Ahmad, 2010) This
exclusion creates grievances that provoke people to violence.

This is clearly the case in Pakistan, where exclusion is determined on the basis of
regional, ethnic, sectarian, and class identities. For example, in Balochistan and
the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), grievances about regional
exclusion are a major driver of insurgency and rebellion. Similarly, exclusion
based on ethnicity and religion fuels violence in Karachi, Southern Punjab,
Hazara and Gilgit Baltistan. Interestingly, studies show that there is no
correspondence between individual's socio-economic circumstances and
involvement in militancy, validating the point that high levels of exclusion, the
elite, and unaccountable governance is the major cause of Pakistan's fragility.
The political, social, and economic exclusion faced by landless people, religious
minorities, and many women makes it difficult for such groups to mobilize, make
demands, or claim their rights and even to take account of the corruption of the
ruling society.

Similarly, the multiple forms of exclusion experienced by the population of FATA

and remote Sindh prevent them from participating in political activities and thus
lead to derailing the morals of society and state.

Social Legitimacy of Corruption

The main issue which is the reason of failure of federalism is corruption because
of which Pakistan has constantly ranked poorly. The problem is not the
corruption itself, it is the legitimacy granted to corruption by the businessmen
politicians and bureaucracy. This trend has been challenged at various forums
for its acceptance as a social norm but remain fruitless, as one legislator from
the largest party in the parliament even claimed on national television that since
everyone else who has governed Pakistan has been corrupt, it is his and his
party's right' to partake in corruption. (Ahmad, 2010) Another problem with
today's corrupt politics and business is the ability to declare bankruptcy after
borrowing large sums of money. The damages of these loans are dramatically
borne by the public through inflation, higher borrowing costs and reckless
economic fluctuations and recessions. Malfeasance has become politically and
economically persistent, and now deep-rooted in the nation's psyche. (Ahmad,
2010)

Religious Militancy and Intolerance

The crucial challenge for the federalism of Pakistan today is militant extremism
which has left the society terrorized due to consistent suicide attacks and target
killings. Earlier Taliban and local militant groups since 2001, that were
responsible for such intolerance were mostly based in the tribal belt but now
have spread to the settled areas of Pakistan. Various sectarian groups have now
also become a part of their network and have led to acts of violence and
terrorism. (Javaid, 2012) International agencies like Raw and Mosad in disguise
are also playing a crucial role in fueling extremism in the society. Undoubtedly
the current situation has challenged the sovereignty of state's federalism with so
many groups, organizations joining hands in terrorist activities. Contemporary
dispute on the necessity of drone attacks is an example of how Pakistan's future
has been fixed with the problem of religious radicalism and terrorism.

Before it is too late, effective counter terrorism strategies are needed to be

deployed by both the provincial and the federal governments. A consensus is
needed by political parties, religious groups, sectarian groups, media, and civil
society on the complete rejection to militarism in society. Trivial differences on
religious and sectarian basis should be shunned off. Religious tolerance and
moderation are the key instruments towards de-radicalization in Pakistani
society. (Javaid, 2012)

Linguistic Crises and Challenges

Pakistan has been and is still rich in lingual diversity. Even today, it has more
than six major and about fifty-nine small languages. This should provide the
state a reliable source of cultural strength with unity, while federation of
Pakistan never treated this diversity to increase social capital nor tried to back
up national integration. The language controversy in which different organs of
the state of West Pakistan tried to make Urdu a vehicular language of Pakistan,
invited strong reaction from Awami League of East Pakistan who wanted to
make Bengali a provincial language. Since the state favors English and Urdu,
regardless of whatever happened in the past, the languages of the government,
corporate sector, media, education etc, are English and Urdu. However, this
issue has also divided the society in lower, middle and upper classes e.g. English
as the language of the dominants/upper and upper- middle class" and the rest
taken as marker of lower status.

In the current situation, it appears that the Sindhis, the Pashtuns and the Baloch
have resisted elimination of their languages while the Punjabi middle class has
completely succumbed to the dominant English and Urdu oriented culture.
Baluch and Saraiki on the other hand demand their separate province and to
make their languages official as well. However, the question arises is whether we
are willfully or unknowingly slaughtering" our aboriginal languages. We should
treat this diversity of languages as cultural assets instead of liabilities.

Ethnic Challenges to the Federalism of Pakistan

There is hardly any state in the world, which is not ethnically plural. Pakistan is
also no exception in this regard. In fact, the majoritarian idea system both under
democracy and military regimes caused ethno-national mobilization and
increased demographic tensions. The elected and non-elected institutions of the
state did not respond effectively and sufficiently to manage grievances. In fact,
since 1947, the ethno-national movements have been active which challenged
the national unity of the state. (Majeed, 2014) Multiple ethnic in Pakistan has
operated as a breeding house of demands for creation of new provinces. The
absence of rule of law and true democracy are the major issues giving rise to
such variances.
The main domains which give rise to ethnic conflicts are as follows:-

i. On Religious Basis

ii. On the Basis of Linguistic Diversity

iii. On the Basis of Provincial Independence

iv. On the Basis of Caste and Class

Interethnic group conflicts in Pakistan have destabilized the political system and
undermine foundations of the state. The inter-tribal conflict in the tribal areas,
the Sindhi, and non-Sindhi violent conflicts, Shia-Sunni cruel and regressive
activities have become a norm of Pakistani society (Majeed, 2014). Undoubtedly,
the decision makers try their level best to control violence, and minimize
conflicts, but the policies formulated and implemented in the country fall short
of achieving the objectives.

Issue of Water Distribution

Another communal problem pertains to the river water resources. Sindh is the
lower occupant of the River Indus and its entire tributary, thus inherited
inalienable rights by virtue of international law. The province of Sindh along with
Baluchistan has been opposing constructing dams and barrages as they
complain that the province does not get their right share of river water because
of over use by rest of the provinces. They also claim that these provinces divert
water without the consent of the lower riparian areas. (Rizvi, 2014) As a matter
of rights, equitable distribution of irrigation water among all provinces should be
instituted. Presently, the biggest issue on debate is that Punjab forcibly
appropriates a major and disproportionate share. This dispute is a persistence
danger for the federation and a major source of conflict among the provinces to
build new dams, which should be resolved through federal principles and
international laws regarding water sharing.

Issue of Water Distribution

Another communal problem pertains to the river water resources. Sindh is the
lower occupant of the River Indus and its entire tributary, thus inherited
inalienable rights by virtue of international law. The province of Sindh along with
Baluchistan has been opposing constructing dams and barrages as they
complain that the province does not get their right share of river water because
of over use by rest of the provinces. They also claim that these provinces divert
water without the consent of the lower riparian areas. (Rizvi, 2014) As a matter
of rights, equitable distribution of irrigation water among all provinces should be
instituted. Presently, the biggest issue on debate is that Punjab forcibly
appropriates a major and disproportionate share. This dispute is a persistence
danger for the federation and a major source of conflict among the provinces to
build new dams, which should be resolved through federal principles and
international laws regarding water sharing.

Conclusion and recommendations

It is distressing to note that even after sixty seven years of independence;

Pakistan continues to struggle with the same problems of federalism as it was at
the time of independence. Federalism endeavors to create a political union
comprising various regions and people on the basis of a mutually agreed
constitutional structure. It grows over time if its institutions have the desire to
work together in democratic arrangements, for promotion of constitutionalism
and socio-economic equity. It accommodates different regional, ethnic, and
linguistic identities and interests in a political union and Pakistan was
established as a federal sovereign state in August 1947 on the same rational
theories. However, despite of broad consensus on the need of creating a federal
system, Pakistan faced serious problems in developing a working federal system
which could ensure unity to promote harmony among different political Units.

The central government emphasized on balancing unity based on Islamic

principles among different wings of the state. However, it did not establish
participatory political system and failed to address the concerns of the provincial
interests.

Thus the Federation needs a new social contract between the State and
Provinces. The Constitution will work as asocial contract among the people and
constituent federating units of Pakistan only if;

18th Constitutional Amendment is fully implemented in letter and spirit.

The military would have no role in politics and public life. The size of armed
forces should be reduced and these should have equal representation from all
the provinces.

All the indigenous languages of Pakistan - Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushto, Balochi,

Siraiki, Hindko and others - would be given the status of national languages,
while Urdu and English should remain the official languages of inter-provincial
communication. However, Provincial governments should be able implement
education and language policies according to their own preferences.
Major recommendations are needed for promotion of cooperative federation in
the country, to respect the spirit of federal parliamentary democratic system for
the supremacy of the constitutional requirements in order to run the
governmental affairs through participation of all the federating units in the
decision making policies related to foreign and internal issues.

Islamic history:

The history of federalism can perhaps be traced to the days of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) when he
established the first Islamic state in Madina in which the Muhajrin, Ansar and Yahud communities
lived together, enjoying equal rights and respecting each other’s rights. This perhaps could be seen
as the loosest form of what later came to be defined as federalism. Today 28 countries across the
world practice federalism; no less than 40 percent of the world’s population resides in these federal
states. Some of the countries that practice federalism are: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil,
Canada, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Iraq, Pakistan, Spain, South Africa, United States of American and
Venezuela.

History of federalism in Pakistan

“The theory of Pakistan guarantees that federal units of the National Government would have all the
autonomy that you will find in the constitution of the United States of America, Canada and
Australia. But certain vital powers will remain vested in the Central Government such as monetary
system, national defence and federal responsibilities. M. A. Jinnah (Quaid-e Azam), November, 1945”

..
This paper looks at the issue of federalism in Pakistan. It begins with an analysis of the
conceptual paradigms of federalism and goes on to examine the history of federalism in
Pakistan. The paper goes on to discuss the reasons for the failure to develop an organic
federal covenant as well as discuss how the 7th National Finance Commission (NFC)
Award and the 18th Amendment may be indicative of a paradigm shift. The paper
concludes by presenting the way forward for federalism in Pakistan.
Keywords: Federalism, governance, Pakistan.

I. Introduction

This paper will examine the history of Pakistan’s experiments with systems of
state governance, with a view to understanding the dynamics of Pakistan’s
various federal arrangements and their impact over time. In doing so, this
paper will argue that Pakistan has failed to establish an effective federal
covenant between will further argue that, in an attempt to shift the focus of
the analysis toward the agency of societal forces, the failure to create a
workable national covenant has led to what may its constituent units, despite
some incremental movements toward regional autonomy and devolution. It be
called the syndrome of a ‘failing society’. This assertion will entail an analysis
of contemporary political attempts to rectify the dynamics between federating
units, for charting the potential course of Pakistan’s future federal
arrangements. Before one can embark on the task of tracing Pakistan’s
federal
trajectory, however, it is necessary to theoretically identify, locate, and
explicate federalism in order to comprehend its significance in the context of
the Pakistani state.
United Nations at a Glance: The United Nations organization was established after San Francisco
conference was held in June 1945, and it is headquartered in New York, United States. The UN’s
primary aim is to maintain international peace and security, to be a global umbrella that
incorporates all the countries of the world, and to be a considerable and successful experiment as
the first permanent international organization in the modern history, after the collapse of “League of
Nations” with the escalation of World War Two in September 1939.

To begin with, among its political achievements is avoiding the eruption of a third world war,
delivering aid and food for Palestinian civilians since 1950 through the United Nations Relief and
Work Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).In addition, it helped in ending the triple aggression
on Egypt in 1956 and establishing the World food program (WFP) in 1960 . It also helped in ending
the civil war in Salvatore, ending the conflict between Iraq and Iran during the Persian Gulf War in
1980s, and demolition of Berlin Wall and Germany’s unification in 1989. Furthermore, it played a
vital role in sending 42 peacekeeping troops and monitoring ceasefire in conflict zones and unstable
areas, resulting in rewarding the peacekeeping forces with Nobel Prize for peace in 198875.

Last but not least, it contributed to the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in 1990s.
United Nations Commission on Human Rights enhanced democracy and free elections in more than
45 countries through its investigations and technical assistance. United Nations also witnessed the
signature of dozens of significant conventions and treaties on the political, humanitarian,
environmental and diplomatic levels. Among them in the political and humanitarian fields are the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights in December 1948 after Truman77’s request from the UN to
declare an “International Bill of Rights” to respect the human rights and stop the aggressions that
were committed in World War Two, the signature of Refugees’ Convention79 in 1951 regarding the
rights granted for the refuges during conflicts and managing many refugees’ crises after World War
Two, and signing a very important treaty which was the treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons80 in 1968 in order to enhance global safety through preventing the countries from
disseminating nuclear weapons and facilitating the implementation of the International Atomic
Energy Agency’s safeguards regarding peaceful nuclear experiments. Moreover, United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea81 in 1982 was released to govern the territorial boundaries of
countries and the continental shelves, and the rights granted for each country to utilize the
international waters and its assigned economic zones.

On the environmental aspect, it took an important step towards climate change mitigation by the
signature of the Kyoto Protocol in Japan in 1998. It is considered to be the first measure taken
regarding climate issues to decrease the Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG) and mitigate the global
warming phenomenon and it was a further development to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

On the diplomatic field, the United Nations Conference on Diplomatic Intercourse and Immunities
(UNCDII) in Vienna witnessed the signature and ratification of three principle conventions which are:
“Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961”, “Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and
Optional Protocols 196385”, and “Vienna Convention on the diplomatic representation of states in
their relations with international organizations of a universal character 1975 ”. Moreover, it
witnessed the signature and ratification of many conventions and statutes that established a lot of
international organizations and courts like IOM, ICAO, IAEA, ICC, and others .

Conclusion of failures of un:

A great portion of these problems haven’t been solved until now because of several reasons, one
of them is the abuse of veto power by the permanent countries to refuse certain decisions that are
not in their interest, or in other words due to lack of cooperation and consensus among the
Security Council’s member countries and especially the powerful ones like Russia, USA and
European countries. Another significant reason is the absence of clear clarification or the presence
of some deficiencies in some of the charter’s articles which hindered taking the quick, suitable and
right actions by the UN to handle these situations and crises, created problems of bureaucracy
concerning implementation, and paved the way for the powerful countries to implement them
according to their whims. A third reason is the existence of major administrative problems in the
institutional framework of the international organization as well as its recent exposure to financial
crises.

Veto Power: One of the significant disadvantages and weaknesses that exist in the Security Council
is the presence of what so called Veto power, which the five permanent member countries acquire.
The veto right is an authoritarian right which gives the country acquiring it the ability to refuse any
proposal or impede any decision taken by another country or by the Council without mentioning
reasons, even if the remaining world countries agree on it. Once the draft resolution137 is vetoed by
a permanent country, it is cancelled and not implemented. The veto is a final decision and the
countries don’t have the right to oppose or protest against it as it represents an obligatory order to
other countries not to consider that proposal or not to implement it138. Veto is practised in the
procedural cases which require the substantive majority, which represent the majority of cases that
the Council tackles related to international peace and security. Moreover, during the declaration of
the United Nations, the permanent countries (the allied countries in World War Two) put a condition
that they should have veto power during the establishment of the organization in 1945139 .

The Veto power represents a dictatorial instrument which contradicts the principles and basics of
freedom, democracy and international justice and had been exploited by the permanent countries to
take control of the United Nations and dominate its decisions. Ironically, during the establishment of
the organization and signing the charter, the representatives of the allied countries during the war;
which are basically United States of America, Soviet Union and United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland, declared that their acquisition of Veto is for the sake of unifying their plans and
courses of actions in order to apply the mandate of the Security Council in the maintenance of
international peace and security. The British representative insisted that having veto power is not
considered a menace to smaller states, but it would be a safeguard for all the peace-loving states to
ensure that there are no ideological significant differences among them regarding maintaining global
peace140.Unfortunately, the recent actions observed from these countries, particularly the United
States and Russia, do not prove these intensions. Instead, their actions seem to contradict these
intensions by acting to serve their interests.

In addition, it is illogical that only five member countries which were the allied countries in a
destructive world war that ended 75 years ago to control the decisions of 188 countries and to have
the ability to ruin or hinder any proposals that a country may provide just because they are not
parallel with the permanent countries’ political or military interests, or because of conflict of
interests among the permanent members themselves. By veto power, the permanent countries can
oppose the will of the international community behind a certain proposal or solution so it will no
longer be valid. The veto had made the permanent countries put their private interests ahead of the
international community’s interests. It created the Principle-Agent problem141, where the agent is
the permanent countries and the principle is the world countries. In addition, it can easily make all
the efforts that non-permanent members exert to solve a conflict or a humanitarian crisis go in vain,
and this happened lots of times in the last decade. Moreover, it opposes the famous and standard
rule of majority in taking decisions by all councils in many regional and international organizations,
as only one country can reject the solution easily. The Veto represents an unjustifiable discrimination
for the permanent members against the remaining countries, which again hinders and demolishes
the achievement of sovereign equality among nations and destroys the idea of achieving
international justice.

The abuse of veto power by the permanent countries could lead to the “disability “of Security
Council to take action in a certain crisis that threatens the international peace and security.
Historically speaking, this was obvious during the Korean crisis (1950-1953)142 . The Republic of
Korea was under the Japanese control from 1919 till 1945. After the Japanese troops surrendered
after their defeat in 1945, the Republic of Korea was divided between the American troops who
invaded the Southern parts and spread capitalism there, and the Soviet troops who invaded the
Northern parts. The Americans and Russians agreed to divide the Republic of Korea into Northern
Korea and Southern Korea, with Parallel 38º line143 separating between them. Meanwhile, there
was a civil war in China between the nationalists backed by the Republic of China, and the
communists who were backed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Soviet and Northern
Korean troops between 1945 and 1949. In 1949, the Chinese Communist Party won the civil war and
established the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The Republic of China (the defeated party in the civil war and backed by the nationalists) was
supported by United States and its allies, and they allowed it to have a permanent seat in the
Security Council. When the People’s Republic of China took the political leadership under Mao Tsi
Tong144 in 1949, it wasn’t supported by US and it refused to have a permanent seat in the Council.
The Soviet Union was backing PRC, so as a consequence to US’s refusal for PRC to be a permanent
member, the Soviet Union boycotted the UN and Security Council’s sessions145 .

Meanwhile, the Chinese wanted to do a favour to the Northern Koreans for their support during the
Chinese civil war, so they helped the Northern Korean troops to invade South Korea and clash with
the American troops there. When this happened, United States urged the United Nations to
intervene and solve this political or military conflict there. The Security Council orders regarding
ceasefire and finding political peaceful solutions were taken with the consent of only four out of the
big five, as Soviet Union was boycotting the sessions. After the presidency of the Council was
transferred to the Soviet Union in 1950, the Soviet Union abused veto concerning any issue that was
presented in the SC sessions about the Korean crisis or the American troops’ situation in South
Korea, and it impeded any decision in that case deliberately, which threatened the escalation of a
third nuclear world war in that unstable area. It represented one of the famous cases in which the
Council reached a deadlock status as a consequence of US and Soviet Union conflict of interests.

Finally, the Secretary of State146 in the United States proposed the “Unity for Peace” decision
which is approved by the General Assembly in its decision 377 on 3rd of November in 1950.
However, the “Unity for Peace” decision didn’t succeed in settling all the disputes between countries
since then, and wasn’t the perfect solution regarding the collective security system operations.

Furthermore, using veto left a great opportunity for the permanent countries to filter the disputes
between them which were inherited since the end of the Cold War in 1990150. Since the
establishment of United Nations, the permanent countries used veto to hinder any proposal
suggested by a country that was from the Axis countries in World War Two. The veto was used by
the countries that followed the Western camp under USA leadership to stop actions or decisions
suggested by a country that followed the Eastern camp under Soviet Union leadership, and vice
versa.

In addition to that, during the first ten years of the United Nations’ life the “Membership Crisis”
happened. The countries that were following the Western camp used veto against any country that
wanted to be a new member in the UN and this country was following the Eastern camp, and the
same thing happened with the countries of the Eastern camp regarding the new memberships of
countries that were following the Western camp. In 1955, the “Integrated Bargain” was
implemented and all the memberships’ requests were approved.

Nevertheless, it has been apparent that USA uses veto to hinder any draft resolution submitted by
Russia or China, as both countries’ interests will never meet those of USA, and even Russia and China
use veto against any draft resolution suggested mainly by USA because this will contradict their
political interests, given that USA’s main goal in settling any disputes in the world is to beat the
Chinese and Russians to keep the balance of power in its favour at the expense of the populations
who suffer in the unstable areas, even if that resulted in proxy wars. There is a very important issue
that should be tackled concerning veto, which is the charter didn't specify the cases that require
voting by substantive majority (nine including the Big Five) or the issues that require voting by simple
majority (nine whether the Big Five are among them or not) except two issues which are electing ICJ
judges and holding public conference to revise the charter. So this paved the way for the permanent
countries to decide by themselves which issues will require which type of voting, this resulted in the
appearance of the “Double Veto” 151. This veto means that the topic will be presented first in the
session of the Security Council, on the basis that it is a procedural topic (requires simple majority).
Then a permanent member may use veto for the first time so that the topic will be no longer a
procedural one and will be converted into a non-procedural one. After that, the permanent member
may use the veto for the second time to hinder any decision that might be taken in that issue
without reasons, so the permanent member used veto two times in the same topic so it is called
Double Veto.

This represents the selfishness of the permanent countries, as they can use veto to decide which
topics will be procedural and which will be non-procedural with the corresponding type of voting in
each of them, and all of this is done according to their interests. These topics should have been
previously and explicitly determined and specified by the charter, instead of being left to be
determined by the permanent members.

Furthermore, from the disadvantages that result when the permanent members use veto is that the
crisis they were discussing is left unsettled and this makes it more complicated when it is discussed
again later, as well as posing the international peace and security to more danger. A lot of draft
resolutions didn't even reach the voting phase and became resolutions because of being vetoed.

In addition, the permanent countries have the right not to be abided by the judgements that the
International Court of Justice releases if they are against their situation as the aforementioned case
of military activities between the United States and Nicaragua152 . The greatest problem doesn’t lie
in the powers and ramifications of the veto itself, but it lies within the countries that acquire it. If the
countries owning veto are on one side and agreed on a solution for any case that threatens
international peace and security, there will be no need for using veto and the world can avoid the
bad implications of using veto, hence maintaining international peace, settling disputes and ending
civil wars and populations’ suffering. But the problem is that in San Francisco conference during the
United Nations’ establishment conference, Veto had been given to certain countries that will never
ever agree on any issues153. For example, United States of America, China and Russia weren’t and
won’t agree on any issue, either political or economic or military, because their interests are always
contradicting each other. USA and Russia had had a cold War that lasted for 46 years, starting from
the end of World War Two in 1945 till the collapse of Soviet Union in 1991154, so they will not have
a common situation concerning what is discussed in Security Council’s sessions about cases
threatening the international peace and security.

In addition, the criteria on which those countries were selected was winning a horrible world war 75
years ago, and even some emergent powers like Germany and Japan weren’t selected in that time
because they lost this war. Here the Council seems to be outdated and not consistent with the
drastic changes happened in the international system since 1945.

In addition, there has been a fierce trade and economic war between USA and China in 2018 and
2019, and this shall be definitely reflected in any political disagreement that shall happen between
them regarding any important contemporary case, as economics and politics are closely related to
each other. Hence, it is illogical that basically three powerful countries, which their interests do not
match each other and each one wants to retain the international balance of power to be in its
favour, acquire the Veto power. So it is easy to understand why most of the international disputes
weren’t settled and most of the draft resolutions didn’t see light because of using veto either by
USA, or by China and Russia as well as the harmful consequences of using veto that take place at the
expense of the suffering populations in the unstable areas

Moreover, there had been wide consensus among many scholars and academics that the Security
Council has been suffering from democratic equity problem. The Veto power, or in other words, the
right to ever present in the Council, had gave the Big Five too much representation, even higher than
their representation in other related regional or international organizations like IMF or WBG. On the
other hand, other Asian, African and Latin American countries had been given underrepresentation.
This reinforced the need to dilute this power in many draft resolutions and proposals155 .

Accomplishments of the United Nations: During its 60-year history, the U.N. has achieved many
remarkable accomplishments in fulfilling it goals.

Peaceful negotiations

The U.N. has peacefully negotiated 172 peace settlements that have ended regional conflicts and is
credited with participation in over 300 international treaties on topics as varied as human rights
conventions to agreements on the use of outer space and the oceans.

War crisis

The U.N. has been involved in every major war and international crisis since its inception and has
served as a catalyst for the prevention of others. It authorized the international coalitions that
fought in the Korean War (1950-53) and the Persian Gulf War (1991). It provided a forum for
mediation in the Arab Israeli conflict resulting in numerous peace accords and keeping the conflict
localized to the Middle East. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the U.N. was used as a podium
by the United States to challenge the Soviet Union’s placement of nuclear missiles in Cuba. The
embarrassment of public indictment was instrumental in forcing the Soviets to remove the missiles.

Peacekeeping missions

U.N. military forces (provided by member states) have conducted over 35 peacekeeping missions
providing security and reducing armed conflict. In 1988, the U.N. Peace-Keeping Forces received the
Nobel Prize for Peace. The U.N. has also set up war crimes tribunals to try war criminals in the
former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. The U.N. has also made great strides in raising the consciousness of
human rights beginning with the “ Universal Declaration of Human Rights ” adopted by the General
Assembly in 1948. The U.N. Commission on Human Rights through its investigations and technical
assistance in promoting free and fair elections has helped many countries in the transition to
democracy. The U.N.’s intense attention to specific human rights abuses helped end apartheid in
South Africa. In its humanitarian efforts, more than 30 million refugees fleeing war, persecution, or
famine have received aid from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. The International Court of
Justice has helped settle numerous international disputes involving territorial issues, hostage-taking
and economic rights. Since the end of the Cold War, the U.N. has become increasingly involved in
providing humanitarian assistance and promoting improvements in the health of the world’s
peoples. In addition to providing relief for humanitarian crises caused by international conflicts, the
U.N. can also respond to emergencies caused by natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes.

On a proactive level, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other U.N. affiliated groups have
eliminated smallpox and are actively pursuing a battle against AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria around
the world. The WHO played a significant role in diagnosing and containing the spread of severe acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. U.N. programs, like the United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) have saved and enriched the lives of the world’s children through immunization programs
for polio, tetanus, measles, whooping cough, diphtheria and tuberculosis. The lives of over 3 million
children a year have been saved.

The U.N. operates under the principle that promoting economic and social development will help
bring about lasting world peace. The United Nations Development Program provides economic
assistance through expert advice, training, and limited equipment to developing countries. The U.N.
Development Program coordinates all the U.N. efforts in developing nations and has had success in
part because it is not perceived as an outside group threatening a developing countries’ authority or
degenerating it to colonial rule. In addition to promoting workers rights and the right to organize and
bargain for better pay and working conditions, the U.N. has also played a significant role in
improving agricultural techniques and increasing crop yields in Asia, Africa and South America. The
U.N. has also helped developing nations obtain funding projects through the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development, also known as the World Bank. A related U.N. agency, the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) promotes international cooperation on monetary issues and
encourages stable exchange rates among nations.

https://www.academia.edu/38052060/A_BRIEF_CRITICAL_REVIEW_ON_SUCCESSES_AND_FAILURES
_OF_UN_PEACE_AND_SECURITY_ARCHITECTURE
Firstly, Islam is a revealed religion that was revealed upon the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and is free/safe from
changes and amendments as the Almighty God has Himself taken the responsibility for preserving it for eternity.
About the supreme and fundamental source of Islam the Hoy Quran, Almighty God says in verse No.9 Surah
Hijr ‘Verily we have revealed this Book and We would protect it.’ For this purpose Almighty God has
Himself devised modus operandi. The Holy Quran was reduced to writing position during the life time of the
Holy Prophet (PBUH). The first manuscript of the Holy Quran was prepared within two years after the demise
of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) during the reign of Hazrat Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him). Only about
12 years later a number of copies of this manuscript were prepared and sent to different parts of Muslim Empire
during the reign of third caliph Hazrat Usman (May Allah be pleased with him); thus all the Muslims were
united on a single version of the Holy Quran. Since the time of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) it is memorised by
Muslims and is regularly recited in five prayers/salat daily.

Secondly, it is a complete code of life which provides guidelines for the welfare of humanity in all spheres of
life. The Holy Quran mostly uses the word Deen for Islam and declares in verse No.85 of Surah Al-Imran ‘And
whoever seeks a way other than this way of submission ‘Islam- will find that it will not be accepted from him
and he will be among the losers in the life to come.’ The teachings of Islam are not confined to one age or to a
particular class of people but are for the whole mankind and for all the times to come.

Islam is a revealed religion that was revealed upon the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and is free/safe from
changes and amendments as the Almighty God has Himself taken the responsibility for preserving it for
eternity.
 
Thirdly, Islam provides for betterment of this life as well as hereafter. It does not approve of forsaking the
world. It neither approves hot pursuit of desires nor self-mortification. On the contrary, it provides/emphasises
on leading a balanced life. In verse No.201 of Surah Baqra it has been narrated, ‘Our lord, grant us what is good
in this world and what is good in the world to come, and protect us from the chastisement of the fire.’ The
Muslims recite these prayers regularly in their five salats/ service of worship daily. In the same way the Holy
Prophet (PBUH) said, ‘Abandonment of world has no place in Islam.’ The life of the Holy prophet (PBUH)
which is the practical form of the Holy Quran verifies this fact as he did not spend the life of a recluse but led a
practical life. He was a father, a son, a preacher, a teacher a businessman, a ruler, a fighter, a commander, a
legislator, a friend a sincere companion as well as a spiritual leader.Fourthly, Islam is simple and rational
religion which is practicable and completely based on logic.’ The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said, ‘Deen ( Islam )
is simple ‘The life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) can easily be followed by the people. Islam exhorts its followers
to utilise their mental capabilities and be practical and logical. In this regard Almighty God declares in verse
No.22 of Surah Anfaal, ‘Indeed the worst kind of all beasts in the sight of Almighty God are the people who are
deaf and dumb and who do not understand’. Islam has made it obligatory for all of its followers to acquire
knowledge without any discrimination on the basis of sex, race, colour or language, etc.
Fifthly, Islam is revolutionary religion which aims at the reformation of society and human beings. The life of
Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) testifies this fact also. Before the advent of Islam, the Arab society and people were
on the verge of social, moral and political disaster but the teaching of Islam purged the Arabs from evils and
vices and made them leaders, teachers and stander bearers of great religious and ethical values. In this regard the
Holy Quran says in verse No.110 of Surah Al Imran ‘You are now the best nation brought forth for mankind.
You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong’.

Sixthly, Islam gives respect and dignity to the humanity by freeing them from the slavery and worship of other
human beings and objects of universe. A Muslim can kneel and prostrate before only One Almighty God and he
is always ready for sacrificing his/her life, wealth, and other worldly resources for the cause of Almighty God
and Islam. He always prefers the success of hereafter on that of this worldly mortal life. Islam makes him
submissive, patient content, obedient, disciplined and pious.

Seventhly, through the novel and unique modes of Ijtihaad, consensus of opinion/Ijma, Qiyas/analogical
deduction and Istidlaal/Reasoning, the Islamic laws are free from stagnation, operating for the last more than
1400 years and still retains the capacity to develop further. On the basis of these sources of law, Islam is having
the capacity to tackle every problem and legal issue. About the finality and completion of Islam Almighty God
declares in the Holy Quran in verse No.3 of Surah Al Maidah ‘This day I have perfected for you your religion,
and have bestowed upon you My Bounty in full measure, and have been pleased to assign for you Islam as your
religion’. This verse was revealed on the occasion of the last sermon of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
Islam calls for universal brotherhood and unity among the Muslims and does not approve of caste system or
distinction on the basis of race, colour, language and area. The only criterion for superiority according to the
teaching of Islam is piety. Islam terms the Muslims like a human body as when there is pain in any part/organ of
the body the whole body has to face the agony. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) has also declared that the Muslims
are like a wall and each brick of the wall is a support to the other parts/bricks.