India employed its diplomatic skills to block attempts by Pakistan, backed by China, to include the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) document at a recent ministerial meet in Baku. India also successfully prevented the inclusion of references to the South China Sea disputes in the NAM document. Southeast Asian states, who are members of NAM and involved in the South China Sea dispute, collaborated closely with India to thwart Pakistan’s plans. Pakistan’s attempts were seen as unwarranted as it has no role in the South China Sea dispute.
China, as an observer at NAM, has been using Pakistan to push its agenda. However, Azerbaijan, a close ally of Pakistan and the current chair of NAM, did not support Pakistan’s efforts. Azerbaijan will hand over the NAM Chairmanship to Uganda, an ally of India in Africa, at the NAM high-level conference in January 2024. Pakistan made intense efforts to include references to BRI and CPEC in the NAM document, but Indian diplomats worked tirelessly to counter their efforts.
India has strong reservations against CPEC as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which India considers a violation of its sovereignty. India has also expressed concerns about the Belt and Road Initiative, believing that it has led to a debt crisis for many countries, including those in India’s neighborhood.
In addition to the BRI-CPEC-South China Sea issue, India had to face Pakistan’s attempt to bring up the Kashmir issue at the Baku meet. However, India’s Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry, Sanjay Verma, firmly rejected Pakistan’s remarks and stated that the NAM platform should not be used for bilateral issues. Verma emphasized that NAM represents the developing world and has suffered from conflicts and disruptions of supply chains not of its own making.
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