PIB TrackerBRICS parliaments name Pahalgam and back UNSC reform
The 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum closed with a consensus Joint Declaration that condemned the Pahalgam attack by date, echoed the New Delhi Declaration on UN reform, and handed the chair to China for 2027.
What happened
- The 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum concluded in New Delhi with the adoption, by consensus, of a Joint Declaration themed 'Fostering Parliaments for People-Centric Development', after two days hosted by the Parliament of India on 26-27 October.
- It was adopted by the parliaments of the ten members - Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa and the UAE - with partner countries taking part; it backs India's chairship and welcomes the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration of the 18th BRICS Summit (12-13 September 2026).
- It condemns 'in the strongest terms' the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025 in which 26 people were killed, rejects double standards, and calls for expeditious adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
- It supports reform of the UN Security Council (citing NDD Paragraph 13), condemns unilateral coercive measures including secondary sanctions, voices deep concern over West Asia, and reaffirms a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.
- It takes note of Russia's proposals for a BRICS Plus geopolitical group within the IPU and a parliamentary working group on sport; the Lok Sabha Speaker handed the chair to China for 2027.
For Prelims
- BRICS members (10): Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, plus Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Indonesia - the parliaments named in today's declaration. Partner countries are a separate tier: they take part in BRICS engagements but are not members.
- Chairships: India chairs BRICS in 2026 under the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability' - the initials spell BRICS. The 18th Summit was in New Delhi on 12-13 September 2026; China takes over in 2027.
- Parliamentary track: the Forum is the legislative strand of BRICS, and this was its 12th meeting. The declaration cites a Protocol of 11 July 2024 to the MoU on the BRICS Parliamentary Forum, and the Jaipur Declaration (2016) calling for an annual BRICS Women Parliamentarians' Forum.
- CCIT: the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism was proposed by India in 1996 at the UN General Assembly; it remains unadopted, stuck mainly on the definition of terrorism. A call for its 'expeditious finalisation' is a standing Indian ask, now in a BRICS parliamentary text.
- Pahalgam: the attack of 22 April 2025 in Jammu and Kashmir killed 26 people. The declaration's language on cross-border movement of terrorists, terror financing and safe havens builds on NDD Paragraph 40, the counter-terrorism paragraph of the leaders' declaration.
- Unilateral coercive measures: the text condemns measures imposed outside international law, 'inter alia in the form of unilateral economic sanctions and secondary sanctions', citing their effects on the right to development, health and food security of the general population of targeted states.
- IPU: the Inter-Parliamentary Union is the global organisation of national parliaments, which works through geopolitical groups. The declaration only 'takes note' of Russia's idea of a BRICS Plus group inside it - diplomatic language for acknowledging without endorsing.
- Also recalled: UNGA resolution A/RES/78/286 on an International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations; the text also notes a proposed DPI repository for BRICS countries and pilot DPI projects, and reaffirms CBDR-RC in the climate paragraph.
For UPSC: 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, New Delhi, 26-27 Oct 2026: consensus Joint Declaration condemns Pahalgam (22 Apr 2025, 26 killed), backs UNSC reform, CCIT; China chairs 2027.
What it is NOT: A parliamentary declaration commits no government and creates no obligation: it 'supports', 'calls for' and 'takes note', and the leaders' New Delhi Declaration remains the operative BRICS text. The release does not list the partner countries that attended, does not say which delegations proposed or resisted which paragraphs, and does not explain why Russia's IPU and sport proposals were only noted. The text condemns the Pahalgam attack without naming who was behind it, and its Security Council paragraph refers to the New Delhi Declaration rather than naming any country's claim to a permanent seat.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS2.18 · GS2.20 · Linkage L2
Anchor
Parliamentary diplomacy is being used to lock in language the leaders' text already carries. A consensus declaration of ten legislatures, China's and Iran's among them, condemning the Pahalgam attack and rejecting double standards on terrorism gives India a second, legislative endorsement of its core security ask.
Substantiation (data)
Ten member parliaments, adopted by consensus; the 22 April 2025 attack (26 killed) condemned 'in the strongest terms'; UNSC reform backed through NDD Paragraph 13; CCIT finalisation sought; and the chair passed to China for 2027.
Position
India's position, put by the Lok Sabha Speaker, is that UNSC reform and a larger voice for the Global South are 'the need of the hour', that there can be no double standards on terrorism, and that lasting solutions lie in dialogue, peace and cooperation rather than conflict.
Counterpoint
Consensus texts are written to the lowest common denominator. The declaration condemns the attack but names no sponsor, backs reform without a formula, and only 'takes note' of Russia's proposals - while its condemnation of secondary sanctions puts India's name to language aimed chiefly at Western sanctions regimes.
Way forward
Use the China-chaired 2027 Forum to keep the Pahalgam and double-standards language as agreed text rather than renegotiate it; push the DPI repository into a funded programme; and build the Women Parliamentarians' Forum and committee-chair meetings into a standing calendar.
Conclusion
The value of the declaration is precedent. Once ten parliaments have agreed to condemn a specific attack and reject double standards, the next text starts from there - which is why the wording matters more than the length of the communique.
Deploys into: BRICS and the Global South · UNSC reform · Counter-terrorism diplomacy and the CCIT · Parliamentary diplomacy
Lok Sabha Secretariat · 2026-10-27 · PRID 2329065 · PIB source ↗