India likely to support Pakistan’s BRICS membership bid at Kazan summit

India is expected to support Pakistan’s long-standing bid for BRICS membership at the upcoming summit in Kazan, Russia, marking a significant shift in New Delhi’s stance, according to Indian media sources.

The 16th BRICS Summit, scheduled to be held on October 22-23, will focus on expanding the bloc’s membership and could see Pakistan being inducted into the group, which already represents over 45% of the world’s population and 28% of the global economy.

India had previously opposed Pakistan’s inclusion in the BRICS grouping, citing concerns over Islamabad’s economic instability and its potential to bring in additional geopolitical challenges.

However, sources suggest that a shift in consensus among existing BRICS members, particularly Russia and China, has paved the way for India’s reconsideration of its position.

The decision is expected to be formalised at the Kazan summit, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present alongside leaders from BRICS member countries.

The summit, chaired by Russia, will also welcome new members like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Iran, as part of a broader push to strengthen the group’s influence in the Global South.

According to sources familiar with the matter, India’s approval of Pakistan’s membership bid comes after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit to Islamabad earlier this month for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting.

The visit, which marked a rare instance of high-level dialogue between the two countries, is believed to have contributed to India’s decision to support Pakistan’s entry into BRICS.

Russia has been a vocal advocate for Pakistan’s inclusion in BRICS, with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk expressing Moscow’s backing during his visit to Islamabad in September.

Moscow’s support, combined with a growing interest in expanding BRICS to represent more countries from the Global South, is likely to have influenced India’s change in stance.

Expansion process of BRICS

The expansion of BRICS has been a key topic since the group’s last summit in Johannesburg, where member nations instructed their foreign ministers to develop a framework for integrating new members.

The expanded BRICS bloc, with the addition of countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Iran, is expected to strengthen the group's global influence and act as a counterweight to Western-dominated multilateral organisations.

According to an official source, “India has supported the expansion process on a consensus basis, and with new members, BRICS will emerge as a stronger voice for the Global South.” The source further noted that India has been actively contributing to discussions on how to seamlessly integrate new members into existing BRICS mechanisms.