<p>"Once again I thank the prime minister for supporting Pakistan in the Security Council and also for access to the EU market," Gilani said at a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after their talks here.<br /><br />Pakistan was elected to the UN Security Council last month as a non-permanent member for a two-year-term beginning January 1, 2012. India is already serving a two-year term in the Security Council as a rotating member. Pakistan, too, had backed India's candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the council in the elections held last year.<br /><br />This will the fourth time in the history of the UNSC that India and Pakistan will be in the Security Council as non-permanent members. They had earlier served in 1968, 1977 and 1984.<br /><br />However, Pakistan has been actively lobbying against India's candidacy for a permanent seat in the council. Pakistan narrowly managed to win the UN seat with 129 of the 193 member-states of the world body backing it. India played an important role by supporting Pakistan's candidacy, a point that has been acknowledged by Islamabad, signaling the new spirit of thaw between the two neighbours whose ties had plunged to a new low after 26/11 attacks.<br /><br />Many of the countries that Pakistan had considered as friends were no longer its friends, but India "supported us in becoming a non-permanent member of the 15-member Security Council," Islamabad's envoy to the world body Abdullah Hussain Haroon told reporters at the Karachi airport last month.<br /></p>
<p>"Once again I thank the prime minister for supporting Pakistan in the Security Council and also for access to the EU market," Gilani said at a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after their talks here.<br /><br />Pakistan was elected to the UN Security Council last month as a non-permanent member for a two-year-term beginning January 1, 2012. India is already serving a two-year term in the Security Council as a rotating member. Pakistan, too, had backed India's candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the council in the elections held last year.<br /><br />This will the fourth time in the history of the UNSC that India and Pakistan will be in the Security Council as non-permanent members. They had earlier served in 1968, 1977 and 1984.<br /><br />However, Pakistan has been actively lobbying against India's candidacy for a permanent seat in the council. Pakistan narrowly managed to win the UN seat with 129 of the 193 member-states of the world body backing it. India played an important role by supporting Pakistan's candidacy, a point that has been acknowledged by Islamabad, signaling the new spirit of thaw between the two neighbours whose ties had plunged to a new low after 26/11 attacks.<br /><br />Many of the countries that Pakistan had considered as friends were no longer its friends, but India "supported us in becoming a non-permanent member of the 15-member Security Council," Islamabad's envoy to the world body Abdullah Hussain Haroon told reporters at the Karachi airport last month.<br /></p>