Daily Times

Without naming the country, Pakistan confirmed on Monday that a BRICS member had blocked the country’s invitation to a development conference held in China on June 24.

In response to questions from the media regarding the “High-level Dialogue on Global Development,” which was held essentially in conjunction with the BRICS meetings, the spokesperson for the Foreign Office stated that Pakistan is fully committed to expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation with China’s help.

A number of rising and developing economies were invited to the high-level discussion on global development, according to a representative for the foreign ministry.

Prior to the BRICS meetings, China, the meeting’s host nation, had discussions with Pakistan. Decisions at BRICS meetings are taken following deliberation among all participants, including invitations to non-members, according to the statement.

“Regrettably, one member blocked Pakistan from participating,” it added.

According to some sources, India blocked Pakistan from participating at the BRICS summit.

“We hope that the organisation’s future engagement will be based on principles of inclusivity, with the overall interests of the developing world in mind, and free of narrow geopolitical considerations,” the spokesperson’s statement read.

It said Pakistan values China’s role in advancing the interests of developing countries, adding that Pakistan, along with China, has been a strong advocate for global peace, shared prosperity, and inclusive development.

Pakistan is the current chair of the G77+China and a member of the Global Development Initiative’s (GDI) group of friends.

“Pakistan and China are all-weather strategic partners, and our iron brotherhood is unbreakable,” the statement read.

“Pakistan stands ready to work with all developing countries, including BRICS members, to address the global community’s challenges,” the statement added.