Beijing encourages Islamabad’s participation in seminar, as it wants to integrate Pakistan into alliance      

This photograph taken on August 23, 2023, shows delegates listening to Russia's President Vladimir Putin as he delivers his remarks via a video link during the 2023 BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. — AFP

ISLAMABAD: For the first time in the politics of BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa), Pakistan received an invitation to attend a BRICS seminar in Johannesburg ahead of the summit meeting.

Beijing encouraged Islamabad’s participation in the seminar, as it wants to integrate Pakistan into the alliance, and XI Jinping’s efforts in this regard continue.

BRICS brings together five developing nations, representing 41pc of the global population, and 24 percent of the global GDP.

“I have reached Johannesburg to address the BRICS seminar in Johannesburg, just before its summit tomorrow, the first Pakistani to be invited to a BRICS event, a growing body that now has 20 countries in queue for membership. Pakistan has welcomed BRICS expansion and urged BRICS to reject any New Cold War. Afro-Asian solidarity plus Brazil and Russia can play a key role in the new emerging global order, based on multilateralism and regional connectivity,” Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed said in a statement from Johannesburg.

As the Indian opposition appears to be dying down, when it had succeeded in the past to keep Pakistan out of the bloc, Mushahid added, “Pakistan should apply for membership of the BRICS, where lead role is of China (if Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE are keen to join, why not Pakistan?), then in East Asia there’s Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), again China is in the lead there, but Pakistan isn’t ‘Looking East’. Why? Somewhat inexplicable, not seizing opportunities when these arise”. On Tuesday, according to media reports, for the first time, Indian Prime Minister Modi has talked about BRICS expansion, and even statements from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs mention India’s position, including its support for expansion.

Modi’s remarks for expansion were welcomed by the South African president, who remarked, “Delighted to hear India supporting expansion of the BRICS”.

This development comes as China argues that the BRICS coalition should expand its membership to include more developing nations, using this rationale to advocate for Pakistan’s inclusion.

Speaking at the BRICS summit, China’s Xi Jinping remarked, “Some country, obsessed with maintaining its hegemony, has gone out of its way to cripple the emerging markets and developing countries. Whoever is developing fast becomes its target of containment; whoever is catching up becomes its target of obstruction. But this is futile, as I have said more than once that blowing out others’ lamp will not bring light to oneself.”

Apart from Pakistan, other nations, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, expressed their interest in joining the bloc, a point raised at the Johannesburg summit.

Pakistan has maintained without naming India that one country is trying to keep it out of the bloc. Pakistan also expressed the resolve that it was ready to stand with all developing countries, including the BRICS members, for addressing the challenges faced by the global community.

Last year, the Foreign Office maintained, “We do hope that future engagement of the organisation would be based on the principles of inclusivity keeping in view the overall interests of the developing world and in a manner that is devoid of narrow geo-political considerations.”