DOMINANT ANGLE
Islamabad is taking note of New Delhi's focus on Modi's "privilege pyramid" formula, more so than the details of the war in the Middle East.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The statement adopted unanimously on Saturday calls for "exercising maximum restraint, as well as avoiding actions that could further aggravate the situation".
- 02
Narendra Modi called for transforming "this pyramid of privilege into a platform of partnership" before the leaders gathered in New Delhi.
- 03
In May, the foreign ministers of the bloc failed to agree on a joint text, with Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates divided over the conflict.
ANALYSIS
Islamabad, September 13, 2026. Eleven countries gathered in New Delhi unanimously adopted a joint statement on the war in the Middle East on Saturday. The text, reported by the Pakistani press via Reuters and Xinhua dispatches, expresses "deep concern over the persistent escalation of tensions in the Middle East/West Asia" and calls on the parties to "exercise maximum restraint, as well as avoid any action that could further aggravate the situation." No country is named.
What Pakistani newspapers Business Recorder, Geo News, and ARY News are focusing on is not so much the diplomatic content of the statement, but the scope given to it by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the opening of the summit: "We must transform this pyramid of privilege into a platform of partnership," he said in front of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, calling for a system "where every country has a voice, where every member has a stake." According to Modi, the BRICS now represent half of the world's population and 40% of the planet's GDP - figures repeated as proof of a shift in the Western-dominated economic order.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, on his first visit to India in seven years, judged that the war in the Middle East "does not serve the common interests of the international community," according to the state-run CCTV agency. Beijing will take over the rotating presidency of the BRICS next year and will host the 19th summit. The statement also condemns "unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures" that distort trade, in the context of US sanctions against Tehran and Moscow.
The Pakistani press recalls that in May, the foreign ministers of the bloc failed to agree on a joint text, with Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates remaining divided over the conflict triggered at the end of February by US-Israeli strikes. The consensus in New Delhi is thus presented as a diplomatic victory for the Indian host. None of the articles in the consulted pool mention a specific Pakistani position - the country is not a member of the BRICS - with coverage limited to relaying international dispatches on the statement and Xi's role.
SOURCES (3)
- ARY NewsMEDIUM
- Business RecorderMEDIUM
