Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his desire to invite Pakistan and Turkey to join BRICS.

Many experts predicted that China will support the inclusion of Pakistan and Turkey, while India, despite being the second-largest economy in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), might consider leaving due to its complex relations with Pakistan, China, and Turkey. However, such a departure should not occur, as India has been a key member of BRICS for years. If India were to leave, Iran could potentially assume the “I” in BRICS.

Experts also speculated that Pakistan and Turkey may be joining BRICS primarily to seek loans from the World Development Bank.

The only way India can prevent Pakistan and Turkey from joining BRICS is by raising concerns and issues with China and Russia at the upcoming BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. For example, regarding China, India could bring up Turkey’s support for Uyghur Muslims in East Turkestan, known as Xinjiang in Chinese—a region with a large Muslim population that was annexed by China in 1949. Uyghur Muslims have reportedly been persecuted for practicing their religion in China, an atheist and communist country.

India could also argue that Turkey, as a strategic NATO member, would extend NATO’s influence into BRICS. This is something Putin would not tolerate, as he is intent on keeping NATO’s reach outside of BRICS. Even though BRICS is primarily an economic alliance and NATO is a military alliance, Western influence could complicate BRICS’ ability to compete with the G7. Additionally, the United States, despite not being a BRICS member, also opposes Turkey’s inclusion. By raising this issue, India could actually align itself with Russia’s interests. China, which is also anti-West, may not want a NATO member joining BRICS either.

There have been reports suggesting that Pakistan has been involved in supplying arms to Ukraine, allegedly through arrangements facilitated by the United States. This involvement is reportedly linked to a secret arms deal that helped Pakistan secure a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This implies that Pakistan is an active supporter of Ukraine in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. In response, Russia could reject Pakistan’s bid to join BRICS to stop the supply of arms to Ukraine.

China has a strong relationship with Pakistan, and there are not many major issues between the two countries, aside from the alleged mistreatment of the Chinese community in Pakistan in relation to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the railway line from Kashgar (Xinjiang, China) to the Gwadar Port (a Chinese naval base under development in Pakistan).

BRICS, like the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), follows a “vote-veto” system, meaning that every member country must agree on a decision. While India could veto the inclusion of Pakistan and Turkey, it knows that Russia and China would likely continue pressuring India, Brazil, and South Africa to accept their membership. However, if these issues are raised, there is a possibility that Russian and Chinese pressure may be reduced or even halted. There is also a small chance that Russia and China might veto the decision themselves considering these concerns.

The author is a student of New Era Public School, Mayapuri

(With inputs from Reuters)