BRICS Leaders Condemn Pahalgam Massacre, Back India’s Call for Action on Terror
Rio de Janeiro | July 7, 2025: In a significant diplomatic triumph for India, leaders of the BRICS nations and its expanded members — including Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE, and Indonesia — unanimously condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack during the 17th BRICS Summit, expressing strong commitment to fighting terrorism in all forms.
The ‘Rio de Janeiro Declaration’ stated:
“We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025, during which at least 26 people were killed and many more injured.”
The victims included Indian and Nepalese tourists, brutally targeted and segregated by religion before being killed in a Pakistan-sponsored attack claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy for Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN-designated terrorist group.
The declaration reaffirmed the collective stand against cross-border terrorism, terror financing, and safe havens, echoing India’s longstanding global call for unified action. It emphasised the zero tolerance policy on terrorism, rejecting any double standards, and called for strong international law compliance in bringing perpetrators to justice.
The BRICS bloc also showed support for the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) and urged the finalisation of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the UN, which has been delayed due to objections from nations including Pakistan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an X post, stated:
“There must be absolutely no hesitation in imposing sanctions against terrorists. Any silent support or political use of terrorism must be condemned.”
India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval earlier spotlighted the Pahalgam attack at the SCO Security Council Secretaries Meeting in Beijing, calling for decisive global actions against LeT, JeM, ISIS, and similar groups.
Though the Rio Declaration avoided directly naming Pakistan due to Chinese resistance, the message was clear: BRICS stands firmly against terrorism and its sponsors, demanding accountability and justice. The condemnation marks a unified step towards India’s long-pending demand for international pressure on terror-backing states, especially those using terrorism as a political tool.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s bid to join BRICS remains stalled, reflecting its deteriorating global image in the wake of such state-backed terrorism incidents.
