Pakistan Wants BRICS Membership: India, Consensus Rules Stand in the Way

Pakistan has spent more than three years seeking a place in BRICS, but its application has yet to result in full membership. Islamabad has received support from Russia and maintains close ties with China. The bigger hurdle is BRICS’ consensus-based membership process, which makes Pakistan’s strained relationship with India particularly important.

Pakistan applied for membership in 2023, as BRICS was preparing for its first major expansion. BRICS created a new partner-country category at the 2024 Kazan summit, and Pakistan was among 14 countries invited to join it. Pakistan was not among the countries that subsequently accepted the invitation. Its full membership application is a separate matter. Under BRICS’ rules, that makes the position of existing members central to its prospects.

Pakistan has backing, but no decision

Pakistan’s Foreign Office confirmed its BRICS application in October 2024, saying Islamabad wanted to contribute to the grouping’s objectives and strengthen cooperation with member states.

Russia has publicly backed the bid. In September 2024, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk said Moscow would support Pakistan’s inclusion in BRICS, according to Reuters. Pakistan has also sought to build its case around its links with other members, particularly China.

But support from one or more members does not automatically produce membership. The official BRICS framework says applications are considered through consultations among existing members, with the final decision taken by consensus among leaders.

The final decision on new membership is reached by consensus among BRICS leaders, meaning Pakistan needs acceptance across the existing grouping.

India complicates Pakistan’s membership bid

Pakistan’s relationship with India makes that consensus particularly difficult. The two countries have longstanding disputes, including over Kashmir, and their bilateral ties have remained tense.

The official BRICS membership criteria also matter. They include maintaining good diplomatic relations with all existing BRICS members, alongside support for multilateralism and global governance reform. That does not mean India has formally vetoed Pakistan’s application. There is no public BRICS decision stating that Pakistan was rejected because of India.

The more precise point is that India’s position can affect Pakistan’s prospects because admission requires consensus. Pakistan therefore faces a political constraint that Russian backing alone cannot resolve.

Reuters has previously reported on Russia’s support for Pakistan’s BRICS bid, but Moscow’s position does not override the consensus requirement. Pakistan’s close ties with China also cannot substitute for consensus among all existing BRICS members.

BRICS’ own recent expansion also shows why the process matters. The grouping expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, while Indonesia became a full member in 2025. Expansion has therefore been shaped by negotiations among existing members rather than a simple application-and-approval process.

Partner status offered no shortcut

Pakistan’s position became more complicated after BRICS introduced the partner-country category at the 2024 Kazan summit. Pakistan was among countries invited to become partners, but it was not included in the final list of partner countries.

That distinction is important. An invitation to become a partner was not an approval of Pakistan’s full membership application, while Pakistan’s absence from the partner list does not by itself amount to a formal rejection of its membership bid.

The partner framework gives BRICS a way to broaden engagement with countries without immediately admitting them as full members. For Pakistan, however, it has not provided a separate route into the grouping.

Reuters reported in 2024 that interest in BRICS had grown among countries seeking greater representation in global institutions and more diverse economic relationships. Pakistan’s application fits into that wider push. Membership could give Islamabad a larger platform for discussions on trade, development finance and reforms to global institutions.

Yet the immediate question is political. Pakistan can continue lobbying members, highlight its economic and diplomatic relevance, and seek support from Russia and China. None of those steps can replace consensus among existing BRICS members.

For Islamabad, the path to full membership therefore depends not only on building support inside BRICS but also on making its candidacy acceptable across the grouping. Until that happens, Pakistan will remain outside BRICS, despite support from Russia and its close ties with China.