Pakistan applied for BRICS membership in 2023 and sought backing from Russia and China, but its bid remains stalled as the bloc has continued to expand.
New Delhi: Pakistan has spent nearly three years trying to secure a place in BRICS, reaching out to Russia, China and other member countries and seeking a larger role in a grouping that has expanded significantly since Islamabad first applied.
Yet, as India hosts the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Pakistan remains outside the bloc.
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The central reason is the way BRICS takes membership decisions: admission of a new full member requires consensus among existing BRICS leaders. That gives every member a decisive say, making India's position particularly important for Pakistan's bid.
Pakistan turned to Russia as its BRICS entry point
Pakistan's BRICS push gathered momentum in 2023, when the grouping was preparing for a major expansion.
At the August 2023 BRICS summit in South Africa, leaders agreed to invite Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to join. Pakistan was not among the countries selected.
At the time, Islamabad said it had not yet formally applied. By November 2023, however, Pakistan's ambassador to Russia, Muhammad Khalid Jamali, said the country had applied for BRICS membership for 2024 and was seeking support from member states, particularly Russia.
The timing was significant. Russia was due to hold the BRICS presidency in 2024, giving Islamabad an opportunity to seek Moscow's backing.
Pakistan also had a potentially important supporter in China, its long-standing strategic partner. But support from individual countries cannot by itself secure admission because BRICS decisions on membership are made by consensus.
The biggest hurdle to Pakistan’s BRICS entry
Pakistan's application has faced its biggest geopolitical complication from India's presence in the grouping.
An August 2023 PTI report noted that Pakistan’s bid faces challenges from India’s position within BRICS. With consensus required for new members, support from Russia or China cannot override a rejection by another existing member.
The issue also reflects the broader tensions in India-Pakistan relations. Pakistan's ambition is to join a forum that includes India as well as China and Russia, but its membership would require all existing members to agree to its entry.
This makes Islamabad's BRICS campaign different from a conventional application to an international economic organisation.
Pakistan has moved closer to BRICS without becoming a member
Islamabad has nevertheless sought to build economic links with BRICS-related institutions.
In February 2025, Pakistan's Economic Coordination Committee approved the country's membership in the New Development Bank (NDB), a multilateral development bank established by BRICS countries. It approved the purchase of 5,882 capital shares worth $582 million, including $116 million in paid-in capital.
That move, however, does not make Pakistan a BRICS member.
The NDB is a separate institution, and participation in it should not be confused with membership of the BRICS political and economic forum. Pakistan's interest in the bank reflects its effort to diversify sources of development financing beyond institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF.
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BRICS has expanded while Pakistan waits
Pakistan's application came at a time when BRICS itself was undergoing a transformation.
The original grouping of Brazil, Russia, India and China was expanded to include South Africa in 2011. In 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE joined, while Indonesia formally entered in 2025.
BRICS also created a separate partner-country category at the 2024 Kazan Summit. The official BRICS process says membership and partner status are separate tracks, with both ultimately requiring consensus among the member countries.The expanded bloc now has 11 members: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE.
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What Pakistan gains by getting in
For Islamabad, BRICS membership would provide more than diplomatic symbolism.
Pakistan wants a larger role in a grouping that increasingly presents itself as a platform for cooperation among major countries of the Global South. Membership could give Islamabad greater access to political consultations, economic discussions and emerging financial mechanisms associated with the bloc.
But the immediate obstacle remains political rather than procedural.
Pakistan can seek Russian and Chinese support, strengthen its economic ties with BRICS institutions and present itself as a developing-country partner. None of those steps, however, can substitute for the consensus required for full membership.
For now, Islamabad remains close enough to engage with the BRICS ecosystem, but not close enough to sit at the table as a full member.
Published: 12 Sept 2026, 12:24 pm IST
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