The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has debunked fake claims circulating on social media about India’s status in BRICS and alleged actions involving Pakistan. The MEA’s Fact Check unit issued a “Fake News Alert” warning users about baseless claims being shared online. Screenshots of viral posts suggesting India’s removal from BRICS or its replacement by Pakistan were labeled as “FAKE.”
The misleading narratives in the posts included claims that “BRICS will kick India out of the alliance” and that Pakistan would take India’s place. Another post falsely stated that Turkey and Pakistan were joining BRICS while India was leaving the group. The MEA’s clarification aimed to address the spread of unverified and misleading content related to international groupings and India’s foreign policy engagements.
India is set to chair the BRICS in 2026 with a theme of ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability’, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s people-centric approach outlined at the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 2025. The BRIC group, initially comprising Brazil, Russia, India, and China, was formalized in 2006 at the first meeting of BRIC Foreign Ministers in New York. The expansion of BRIC to BRICS occurred in 2010 with the inclusion of South Africa at the BRIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting.
