14 October,2016 11:52 AM IST | | IANS
India should not politicise the upcoming eighth BRICS summit to solve its bilateral disputes and not expect member nations to isolate and brand Pakistan as 'supporter of terrorism', a Chinese expert has suggested
Beijing: India should not politicise the upcoming eighth BRICS summit to solve its bilateral disputes and not expect member nations to isolate and brand Pakistan as "supporter of terrorism", a Chinese expert has suggested.
"One of the key items at this year's summit will be anti-terrorism. All BRICS members do not want to solve bilateral disputes through politicised multilateral platforms." Liu Zongy, a senior fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said without naming India and Pakistan.
"As for the decades-long Kashmir issue, BRICS countries can only play a mediating role rather than support one side while isolating the other. They cannot simply label a country as "supporter of terrorism," Liu wrote in Global Times.
The article comes days after China indicated that it opposed India's effort at the UN to declare Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar - chief plotter of Mumbai and Pathankot terror attacks - as a terrorist.
Following the September 18 terrorist attack on an Indian Army base in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, New Delhi has launched a campaign of sorts to isolate Pakistan in the global forum.
India is likely to highlight the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistan in the two-day BRICS summit, beginning from Sunday in Goa.
Recently, India conveyed its unhappiness to Russia over latter holding a joint military drill with Pakistan.
"One of the highlights of this year's Goa summit will be the meeting between BRICS leaders and the heads of state of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)," the write-up said.
"It is worth noting that some members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) are not included in the BIMSTEC mechanism, while some ASEAN nations are formal members of BIMSTEC. The participation of ASEAN (Association for South East Asian Nations) countries shows the exclusivity of the summit, while the absence of some SAARC countries weakens the tolerance of regional major powers," it noted.
"Through the BRICS summit, India wants to advance its 'Act East' policy and promote linkage between India and some South Asian and Southeast Asian countries, which are also partners in China's 'One Belt and One Road' initiative."
"Hopefully, a close relationship between New Delhi and these countries will promote their linkage with China and pave the way for a win-win scenario," it added.
