China said yes, Russia backed it: Why Pakistan is still outside BRICS

Pakistan applied to join BRICS in 2023 and has sought support from Russia and China. Here's why Islamabad's membership bid remains unresolved.

Pakistan formally applied to join BRICS in 2023 and has since pushed major members, including Russia and China, to support its case. Yet Islamabad remains outside the grouping even as BRICS has expanded and brought several new countries into its fold. The wait has put renewed attention on Pakistan's membership bid as BRICS leaders gather in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit.

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Pakistan left out in the cold 

Pakistan announced its application in November 2023. Then-Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Islamabad hoped to become part of the grouping and described BRICS as an important platform for developing countries.

Pakistan also sought diplomatic backing from Moscow. Its ambassador to Russia, Muhammad Khalid Jamali, publicly discussed Islamabad's membership push and said Pakistan expected support from Russia.

China has also backed closer cooperation between Pakistan and BRICS. But political support from individual members does not automatically translate into membership.

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Why Pakistan wants a seat at the BRICS table

There is a strong economic reason behind Islamabad's push. Pakistan has repeatedly turned to international lenders, particularly the International Monetary Fund, during periods of financial stress.

Membership in BRICS would give Islamabad a place inside a grouping that includes some of the world's largest emerging economies and is trying to expand financial and trade cooperation outside traditional Western-led institutions.

Pakistan has also moved closer to the BRICS-backed New Development Bank. A Nikkei Asia report said Pakistan purchased a stake worth about $580 million in the bank, a move aimed at widening its financing options.

Heartbreak & reality behind Pakistan's long, lonely wait for BRICS

Pakistan's wait is striking because BRICS has undergone a major expansion since Islamabad submitted its application.

Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates were among the countries brought into the expanded grouping. Indonesia later became a full member, while several other countries were brought into the BRICS framework as partner countries.

The expansion has increased the economic weight of the grouping and made membership more attractive for countries seeking stronger trade and investment links with emerging economies.

India stand on Pakistan's BRICS bid

India is the biggest complication in Pakistan's membership push. New Delhi and Islamabad have a long history of political and security disputes, and relations between the two neighbours remain strained.

BRICS decisions on expansion are taken collectively by its members. That means support from China or Russia alone cannot secure Pakistan a seat at the table.

Pakistan therefore needs broader agreement within the bloc before its application can move forward. Without that agreement, Islamabad's diplomatic campaign remains stuck.

The USD 580 million question

Pakistan's engagement with the New Development Bank shows how seriously Islamabad is pursuing closer economic links with the BRICS system. But participation in a BRICS-linked financial institution and membership of the political grouping are separate matters.

For Pakistan, that distinction is now hard to ignore. It has applied for membership, courted some of BRICS' most powerful states and put hundreds of millions of dollars into a bank created by the grouping.

More than two years after its application, however, the seat Islamabad wants remains out of reach.

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