BRICS Declaration a major diplomatic victory for India: Ex-J&K DGP

Former J&K DGP S.P. Vaid termed the BRICS New Delhi Declaration a major diplomatic win for India, citing the unanimous condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack and China's agreement on UN Security Council reforms, including India's bid for a seat.

Jammu & Kashmir Former Director General of Police S.P. Vaid on Sunday termed the unanimous adoption of the New Delhi Declaration at the BRICS Summit a major diplomatic victory for India, highlighting its strong, collective condemnation of the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack.

Emphasising the significance of the 'Delhi Declaration ', which explicitly denounced the killing of 26 individuals targeted on religious lines, Vaid noted that the consensus carries immense weight because the declaration is built on a mutually agreed-upon framework involving all member states. "This is a major diplomatic win for India. The unanimous condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, an incident in which 27 people were killed after being singled out based on their religion, is highly significant, especially given that the 'Delhi Declaration' is based on a unanimously agreed-upon agenda,” Vaid told ANI. "China agreed to the condemnation because, deep down, it knows the reality that Pakistan was behind the attack, and I view this as a slap in the face for Pakistan," Vaid stated.

Breakthrough on UN Reforms

Addressing broader geopolitical shifts, the former DGP pointed out a vital breakthrough regarding international institutional reforms. Despite historical opposition and vetoes from Beijing concerning the expansion of the UN Security Council, the New Delhi Declaration explicitly acknowledges the urgent need for UN restructuring and names India, Brazil, and an African representative as key contenders for permanent seats. "...Whenever resolutions to reform the UN, and specifically to expand the Security Council's permanent membership, came up, China would always exercise its veto. India is a major claimant for such a seat, given its status as the most populous nation and its trajectory toward becoming the third-largest economy. Yet, in this Delhi Declaration, China is a signatory and has agreed that the UN and the Security Council need reform, and that India, Brazil, and a representative from Africa should be included," he added.

Modi-Xi Bilateral Discussions

Vaid further emphasised that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bilateral discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping successfully prioritised India's core strategic sensitivities, signalling that resolving boundary friction remains foundational to establishing lasting regional stability. "I believe our Prime Minister raised the point that the boundary issue is of great importance to India. He emphasised the need for an early agreement on this matter so that consensus can be reached on other issues and sources of friction can be eliminated. India has clearly conveyed its sensitivities regarding this, and our Prime Minister underscored this point to President Xi. I believe that message has been delivered, and I hope that future meetings will yield an agreement, thereby removing any causes of friction regarding other issues..."

Geopolitical Significance of Summit

Weighing in on the geopolitical dimensions of the summit, Lt Gen (Retd) D.P. Pandey stressed the deep significance of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India his first in seven years following the Galwan standoff, noting that modern economic growth and security considerations are now inextricably linked, making the explicit inclusion of the Pahalgam terror incident and broader counter-terrorism frameworks in the joint text a major diplomatic triumph for New Delhi given China's direct presence in the bloc. "It is extremely important. Xi Jinping’s visit to India after seven years, especially following the Galwan incident, is highly significant, particularly given the major role played by the BRICS summit he has come to attend. When considering growth and the economy, one must also factor in the security considerations that have become closely intertwined with them these days; this makes it a very important event," D.P. Pandey told ANI.

'Powerful Global Message'

Welcoming the development from Srinagar, Janata Dal (United) State President G.M. Shaheen asserted that the New Delhi conference sends a powerful global message. “This is a very big thing, and no country supports terrorism, except one... The BRICS conference in Delhi is that it will help our economic growth, strengthen our support, and have a major global impact," G M Shaheen said.

'Validation for Grieving Families'

Meanwhile, the unanimous adoption of the BRICS New Delhi Declaration, which explicitly condemned the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam, has brought a sense of validation and emotional relief to the grieving families of the victims. Reacting to the international development, Aishanya Dwivedi, whose husband Shubham Dwivedi lost his life in the attack, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the critical issue on the global platform. "I express my heartfelt gratitude to our Prime Minister on behalf of all 26 families, for raising such a major issue as terrorism on a global stage from within India... For us 26 families, this signifies that while honouring the sacrifice of our 26 loved ones, the government is taking, and will continue to take, decisive steps against terrorism,” Aishanya told ANI.

New Delhi Declaration 2026 Adopted

Meanwhile, the BRICS countries on Saturday adopted the New Delhi Declaration 2026, backing the aspirations of India and Brazil to play a greater role in the United Nations, including its Security Council, while strongly condemning the April 2025 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam and calling for zero tolerance towards terrorism.

The declaration, adopted at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, said China and Russia, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, reiterated their support for the aspirations of Brazil and India to play a greater role in the UN, including its Security Council. The BRICS leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to reforming the UN Security Council to make it more democratic, representative, effective and efficient, with greater representation for developing countries

On terrorism, the grouping condemned “in the strongest terms” the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025, in which 26 people were killed and several others injured. The declaration reaffirmed BRICS’ commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, terrorism financing and safe havens. It also called for zero tolerance for terrorism and rejected double standards in countering the menace. (ANI)

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