National/Regional/International Affairs
“What a terrible era in which idiots govern the blind.”
-William Shakespeare.
By N. P. Upadhyaya (Aryal)
Kathmandu: Apart from the continuing Canada-India feud plus the fresh threat-loaded US warning to the self-declared corrupt South Asian police (read India) over the aborted killing of Khalistani separatist leader Gurpatwant Pannum, a person who has the distinction of having the nationality of both Canada and the USA, in the US Soil, India is now poised to take up yet another tricky diplomatic battle with Pakistan over the latter’s fresh membership appeal to the BRICS-taken as a forum which speaks the voices of the Global South. A new headache for India begins thus in earnest.
It is this Khalistani movement waged by the Indian Sikh separatists residing abroad, namely in Canada, the UK, and Australia, who mainly have been organizing occasional rallies and demonstrations in favour of what they call the pure land of the Sikhs and only for the Indian Sikhs.
Among these countries, the separatists, as India calls them and treats them accordingly, are the UK, Canada, and Australia, the three countries wherein the concentration of Indian Sikhs is high and has been the cause of permanent tension.
The latest exodus of the Indian Sikhs took place when Mrs. Indira Gandhi was gunned down by two Sikhs, her own security guards, Satwant and Beant Singh, and a sort of Sikh genocide that followed in Delhi and across the Indian Union forced the Indian Sikhs to flee the countries of their choice.
The Sikhs left India, however, they left with an avowal that one fine morning they would surely have their “land of the pure Khalistan, sliced from within India itself.
It is this avowal that the Sikhs residing in the US, UK, Canada and Australia from time to time tease the Indian regime by organizing rallies and demonstrations in favour of what they call “Khalistan”.
The Indian government in Delhi pokes the nose of London, Washington, and Ottawa and appeals to friendly governments not to allow the Sikh demonstrations to take place.
It is this lacklustre exhibited by friendly governments that the Indian regime, reportedly, has been target-killing the most wanted Khalistani leaders, for example, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed this year in June in British Columbia, Canada, and Gurpatwant Sigh was tried the same in the US soil, presumably an attempt foiled by the US, as stated in earlier paragraphs.
Now to the BRICS:
BRICS was formally launched in 2010 and comprised the countries Brazil, Russia, India and China and later the new addition was South Africa.
It is generally considered as an intergovernmental organization.
India too has a say in the BRICS functioning as much as China and Russia have, however, international commentators say that what China and Russia decide becomes binding and final in the BRICS apparatus.
Like the SAARC Charter, a new member could only be inducted when the entire block of the conglomerate decides that this country needs to be welcomed then the applicant country gets admission and enjoys as much authority as others in the grouping are bestowed.
This means that new induction demands “consensus” which is why India feels ballooned itself.
It is this consensus which may or may not be granted by India in the case of Pakistani application, Nepali observers claim.
The claim is based on India’s inimical stances exhibited over Pakistan which remains no longer a secret.
The SAARC regional body became the victim of Indian PM Modi only because Pakistan on the sidelines of the SAARC Summits preferred to raise the unsettled issue of Indian Occupied Kashmir which India disliked.
The Indian wish is to close all the regional bodies wherein Pakistan pushes the Kashmir issue.
The Spokesman of Indian external affairs, Arindam Bagchi, has already hinted in one of his recent press conferences that BRICS works in accord.
Bagchi hints by implication that Pakistan needs to enjoy consensus if and when it has to join the BRICS.
This further means that Bagchi hints that in arriving at a consensus among the BRICS countries, Pakistan needs to approach the countries, for example, Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa apart from rival India.
Now the simple question is why India extended its hands of friendship to its known and declared rival Pakistan and invited permanent trouble for itself and vice versa as the SAARC regional body came to an abrupt halt leaving the other regional members high and dry.
What is for sure is that India and Pakistan are not made for each other and that they cannot adjust themselves in one single body. SAARC regional body is the best example of how India and Pakistan can’t tolerate each other because they are not made for each other.
It is this animosity that has distanced the already distant India-Pakistan ties.
Hopefully, the new Pakistani government after the February elections will take up the issue of Kashmir and give peace yet another chance in South Asia.
Such a move from India is beyond question indeed, this is what our experience tells us.
Pakistan applies for BRICS membership officially:
Arindam Bagchi’s subtle hint that Pakistan’s inclusion in the BRICS demands consensus from the prominent members’ houses in the BRICS. India has taken it as a problem already.
Bagchi’s intent is clear in that India will never okay award its affirmation to Pakistan fearing that the SAARC problems may erupt again.
However, a recognized commentator in Pakistan, Mashal Zahid writing an article in the DIPLOMAT on November 29, 2023, says in no uncertain terms that “India’s potential veto is a problem, but even the bigger hurdle could be Pakistan’s own internal dysfunction”.
If Majid is referring to the current Pakistani monetary crunch, he is accepted in his admissions.
If he points at the International Monetary Fund’s regular bailout to Pakistan then it could too be accepted.
However, his blunt use of the word “internal dysfunction” is somewhat incorrect in that it is this word which has emanated from Pakistan’s scholars that could well be used and overused by rival India to obstruct Pakistan’s application to the BRICS.
In some way, Mashal Zahid is aiding the Indian regime with a sure-shot point that may be used against Pakistan when it comes to India agreeing to favour or say concede Pakistani application when its turn comes.
The fun is that Zahid is an International Relations Graduate who has, I must admit, posted this article that suits the interests of the Indian Foreign Ministry.
This smells rat….?
While Zahid speaks tentatively in favour of India a more matured version of BRICS and Pakistan has best been explained by none less than Aizaz Ahmed Choudhary, Pakistan’s former Foreign Secretary, Aizaz Ahmed Choudhary whose experiences gained while inside the Foreign Office is being expressed by the author which gives a true picture of why Pakistan should try to get the BRICS membership and wherefrom the likely hurdles may emanate for Pakistan.
By implication, the former foreign secretary agrees that Delhi and Beijing are undoubtedly each other’s greatest long-term geopolitical threats.
Choudhary has no illusion that India will pose threats to Pakistani induction yet he stresses the need that his country too must try as Pakistan believes in “multilateralism”.
His logic is that since India more often than not acquires stances that are generally anti-Western countries, through houses in Quad and close to the USA, Pakistan must not repeat the Indian blunders.
If the Indian stance on the Ukraine-Russian War went in favour of the Russians contrary to the expectations of Western nations then, over the Israel-Palestinian War, India’s soft corner for Israel was more than evident.
It is this chameleon behaviour of India that must be carefully understood by the powerful BRICS member states, e.g., China and Russia and induct Pakistan at least to curb the Indian erratically, including political swings here and there, behaviours seen at times.
Pakistan can speak and add to the strength of the Global South which is why the changing geo-politics across the world more so in South Asia demands the urgent inclusion of Pakistan in BRICS.
This is once again necessitated by the existing fact which is the distinct tilt of the Geopolitics is in favour of India and India that only recently “for monetary gains” sold some key-secret information to Israel and hence some eight corrupt and greedy, (greed in the Indian gene) Indian retired navy officials recruited by Qatari-State are awaiting death penalty much similar to Kul Bhusan Yadav-the Indian RAW recruit languishing in Pakistani prison.
Contrary to these Indian habits associated with genes, Nepali nationals sell key information to India for financial gains.
Most of the media men rely on this financial booty which even helps/supports to construction of one posh house for the “Journalists for sale”. We have instances galore.
By and large, India’s swinging politics, over the US and Russia time and again, may not be a new phenomenon for China, but the Russian Federation for its firm hold in the BRICS needs Pakistan.
Formal approach:
Pakistan on November 23, 2023 this year formally applied for BRICS membership which has been confirmed by a spokesman of the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad that it intends to join the BRICS to boost inclusive multilateralism. FO man Mumtaz Zahara Baloch.
The timing of Pakistan’s application for BRICS membership has just coincided with the “Bloc” gaining global influence and trying to position itself as a leading voice of the Global South.
A TASS New Agency report from Moscow says that the country’s newly appointed Ambassador to Russia Muhammad Khalid Jamali, has told TASS in an interview that his country has already applied for BRICS membership.
Ambassador Jamali has announced the right thing situated in the right country as the next BRICS Chair is Russia so to win the hearts of Russia’s Vladimir Putin becomes significant and equally urgent.
I guess, Vladimir Putin together with the combined strength of China shall do the needful even if India forwards expected hurdles as its gene dictates.
But the Pakistani side must keep both Russia and China in confidence and I would suggest, even India be kept informed.
China already hints Pakistan’s nod on BRICS membership:
One doesn’t need to be smart enough or say intelligent to read the early Chinese calculation/indication in favour of Pakistani membership.
In my personal opinion, China invited the Chairman Defence Relations, Musahid Hussain Syed, to Johannesburg last year and allowed Hussain to ventilate his country’s feelings on BRICS a day ahead of the scheduled BRICS Summit which began in earnest, August 22-24, 2022.
This has political connotations underneath.
I guess China in doing so, sent enough signals to the rival country-India, that Pakistan is the new member of the BRICS and so India is thus advised not to pose any sprints that disappoint Pakistan at the next Moscow Summit of the BRICS.
I guess India is talking of consensus just to keep the world population in a guessing work, however, things appear to have been set in advance and so Pakistan has applied only then for BRICS membership.
This is a fact and take it for granted that Pakistan is the new member of the block from South Asia after India.
China, by inviting Mushahid Hussain Syed to South Africa, gave a platform to the Pakistani guest to air his points as to why his country should be inducted into the BRICS club.
China did its subtle diplomatic job that favoured Pakistan almost a year ahead.
However, Pakistan must not forget that the club itself is based on the premise of anti-Western nations and so Pakistan needs to tread the path ahead with great caution and care.
French President Emanuel Macron has said in no uncertain terms that the “Age of Western Domination” has already come to an end hence the phenomenal rise of China, and India over these years.
However, this should not mean that the US and its Western allies will observe their own decline with clasping hands. Nope!
They will in all their original strength endeavor once again to revive/rejuvenate their old name and fame so as to compete with China-the number one competitor in the present-day world.
Thus Pakistan must not ignore the US and the Western nation in lieu of BRICS membership.
Ignoring the US and the Western nations would mean yet another emergence of butterflies in South Asia after India.
Pakistan must take into account that Military primacy aside, the United States is still an economic powerhouse. The State of California alone, with a population of 40 million, has a GDP equal to India’s with less than 3% of its population. Having already exceeded the GDP of France and the United Kingdom, the Golden State is poised to overtake Germany to become the world’s fourth-largest economy.
So with these considerations in mind Pakistan is thus advised to take diplomatic steps.
Our own source confirms that as early in October, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that BRICS aims to finalize a list of candidates for partner-state status before the upcoming summit scheduled for 2024 in Kazan, TASS reported.
To recall, Kazan is the largest city and capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka Rivers.
Concluding remarks:
The United States Institute for Peace, August 30, 2023, says that the new additions highlight the bloc’s global appeal but more members could further complicate its consensus-based approach. That’s all.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect People’s Review’s editorial stance.
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