During the weekly briefing of the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, Khan responded to Sputnik’s question about Pakistan’s discussion of joining BRICS during the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in China. “What I can clarify for you is that Pakistan is serious in its pursuit to join the BRICS group, and that Russia supports Pakistan’s request.” Khan also referred to the meeting between Putin and Shehbaz Sharif, stating that they recalled their last meeting in Astana in 2024 and expressed their great satisfaction with the expanded cooperation and strengthening of bilateral relations over the past year. The leaders confirmed that the relationship today is based on mutual trust, respect, and goodwill between both sides.
In response to journalists’ questions about Pakistan’s approach to aligning its membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit with its relations with the West, the spokesperson explained that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a highly important multilateral regional body, bringing together countries of the Eurasian bloc, noting Pakistan’s satisfaction with its outcomes. The spokesperson confirmed that the recent meeting of heads of state at the Shanghai Organization, followed by the expanded meeting, was extremely successful, noting that the main message is multilateralism, shared prosperity, peace, security, and development.
The spokesperson added that the channel created under the Indus Waters Treaty has not been used, emphasizing the necessity for India to fully comply with all provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty. India had opened some dams in recent days, releasing water into three rivers towards Pakistan, which led to increased water levels in Pakistani areas.
