Pakistan is making its intentions clear. It wants to join BRICS, an international bloc designed to counter Western-dominated institutions.
Russia supported the move, raising concerns in India. The biggest fear is that Pakistanâs entry could give China more power in the grouping at Indiaâs expense.
It is a risky game, but Pakistan is not backing down. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk said:
âWe are delighted that Pakistan has applied. We will support this.â
He made the statement in Islamabad after a meeting with Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.
The expansion of BRICS
Abhishek Sharma of the Observer Research Foundation, a Delhi-based think tank, said India was unlikely to support Pakistanâs entry in the near term, if at all. It is widely known that any new BRICS member would have to have close ties with all the existing members or have significant trade with them. Pakistan does not fit that bill.
BRICS was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa joined later in 2010. More recently, Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia have been granted membership. Indiaâs focus so far has been on expanding its Global South initiatives, winning support from Western countries such as the United States, Germany and Italy.
China has close ties with Pakistan and has been at the forefront of expansion when it chairs BRICS in 2022.
India sees Pakistan's involvement as a threat
BRICS has serious global clout. The original five BRICS countries represent 40% of the worldâs population and control 31.5% of global GDP. By comparison, the G7âs share is slightly lower at 30.7%. So adding new members is a big deal. More than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS this year. Pakistan formally applied in November 2023.
Under BRICS rules, membership decisions must be unanimous. That means that if India objects, Pakistanâs approval will be held up. India does not want to support anything that could boost Chinaâs position, especially in BRICS, where China is already a dominant power.
Pakistan is fully aware of the challenges ahead but remains determined. Russia will host the next summit in Kazan from October 22 to 24. As the current BRICS chair, Vlad Putin is expected to focus on expanding the partnership in areas such as politics, security, economics and culture.
Officials say they want the bloc to continue to grow, both in size and influence. Yury Ushakov, a top Putin aide, told state media that dedollarization and expansion would be top priorities at the summit.
