Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: The 11 emerging nations of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, plus new members), concluding their 17th Summit in Rio de Janeiro, have strongly condemned the recent Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir. Crucially, their joint declaration refrained from linking the incident directly to Pakistan, a move that appears to have frustrated Indian diplomatic efforts.
Despite India’s endeavors to secure a condemnation specifically mentioning Pakistan, BRICS followed the precedent set by the UN Security Council, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the Quad, all of which also omitted any direct reference to Pakistan in connection with the April 22nd Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 civilians.
The BRICS condemnation of the Pahalgam attack stated, “We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025, during which 26 people were killed and many more injured. We reaffirm our commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, terrorism financing and safe havens.” While India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address, strongly urged a “zero tolerance” approach to terrorism and called out countries providing direct or indirect support, the final declaration maintained a broad condemnation of terrorism without singling out any nation in relation to the Pahalgam incident.
Following the Pahalgam attack, India reportedly faced setbacks on both military and diplomatic fronts. Reports indicate that six of its aircraft were shot down and 26 strategic locations were destroyed during subsequent military engagements. On the diplomatic front, a high-powered Indian parliamentary committee’s visits to global capitals, despite significant expenditure, reportedly yielded no significant success in garnering specific international condemnation against Pakistan.
In their joint declaration, the BRICS nations also voiced “serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff” measures, condemning US President Donald Trump’s “indiscriminate” import tariffs, which they believe risk hurting the global economy. Furthermore, BRICS offered symbolic backing to fellow member Iran, condemning a series of military strikes on nuclear and other targets carried out by Israel and the United States. However, in an apparent concession to US allies such as Brazil, India, and Saudi Arabia, the summit declaration notably avoided criticizing the United States or its President by name at any point.
