Pakistan applies for BRICS membership, hopes for 2024 entry with Russian support

Pakistan has formally applied for membership in the multinational forum BRICS, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS.
Islamabad has filed the application to join the body and has sought Russia's support, quoting Pakistan's envoy to Russia, Muhammad Khalid Jamali, the agency reported.
Pakistan is looking forward to joining the group of developing nations under Russia's presidency in 2024.
"Pakistan would like to be part of this important organisation, and we are in the process of contacting member countries to extend support to Pakistan's membership in general and the Russian Federation in particular," Ambassador Jamali said.
The bloc currently includes China, the world's second-largest economy, as well as Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa. Six new members --Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates-- will be added to the bloc in January 2023. Pakistan is hopeful about joining BRICS with these countries.
Quoting Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, the state-owned news agency also mentioned that BRICS is planning to agree on a list of candidates for partner-state status ahead of the upcoming summit in Kazan in 2024.
Earlier, China had also hinted at a favourable position towards granting membership to Pakistan.
India, meanwhile, has stated that it "fully supports the expansion" of the BRICS group. However, New Delhi has not specifically commented on Pakistan's bid to join the bloc.
During a summit hosted by China last year, Pakistan alleged that "one member" of the BRICS grouping blocked its participation. The Pakistan Foreign Office expressed the hope that future decisions of the group would be based on "inclusivity."
"However, we do hope that the future engagement of the organisation will be based on the principles of inclusivity, keeping in view the overall interests of the developing world and in a manner that is devoid of narrow geopolitical considerations," it said.
The next BRICS summit is scheduled for October 2024 in the city of Kazan in Russia.