Desperate Pakistan looking at India for support as BRICS plans expansion

Islamabad, Oct 23 (IANS) Pakistan is keenly following the developments at the 16th BRICS Summit, which kicked off in the Russian city of Kazan on Wednesday, hoping that India will support the neighbouring country's application to join the grouping.

The BRICS alliance, an intergovernmental organisation comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, had added four new members - Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates - on January 1, 2024.

The move also triggered hopes in several countries, including Pakistan, who have shown eagerness to join the grouping.

In his opening remarks in the restricted format of the meeting on Wednesday, which was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed that more than 30 countries have expressed a desire to join the BRICS alliance.

Pakistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia are willing to join the alliance with the consensus of the existing members.

However, top Pakistani leaders and diplomats are not sure if New Delhi would support Islamabad's bid which was moved last year.

Sources revealed that India may reconsider its initial opposition to Pakistan's formal application and could back Islamabad's move, especially after Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk publicly supported Pakistan's bid to join BRICS in September, this year.

Overchuk had visited Islamabad and held formal talks with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, assuring him of Moscow's support on the matter.

"We believe that by joining BRICS, Pakistan can play an important role in furthering international cooperation and revitalising inclusive multilateralism," said Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, spokesperson of Pakistan’s Foreign Office.

"We also hope that BRICS will move forward on Pakistan's request in line with its commitment to inclusive multilateralism," she added.

Analysts believe that New Delhi could relent this time, considering that it has supported the BRICS expansion process on a consensus basis. They maintain that, with a new member, BRICS will emerge as a stronger voice of the Global South.

"India has been actively contributing to discussions on how to seamlessly integrate new members into existing BRICS mechanisms," an official stated.

The visit of Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to Islamabad for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting last week is also being considered as a positive step in the Pakistani diplomatic circles.