” A hungry stomach, an empty wallet and a broken heart can teach you the best lessons of life.”
-Robin Williams.
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N. P. Upadhyaya (Aryal)
Biratnagar: Indian Prime Minister Modi perhaps didn’t know that something unpleasant was in store for him in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Had he known it in advance, he would definitely have postponed the South African visit.
And the most ill-fated moment for PM Modi surfaced the moment he landed at the Johannesburg Airport.
After witnessing the violent violence in Manipur and Haryana and elsewhere inside India, PM Modi was out for a jaunt to South Africa and later to Greece hoping that he will unwind his tensions for a while at the cost of poor Indian tax payer’s money.
Since 2014, PM Modi has been traveling across the globe.
PM Modi went to South Africa this time to attend to the BRICS fifteenth Summit that was held from August 22-24, 2023.
The Summit has just concluded.
The first jolt to PM Modi:
The first great shake that PM Modi may have felt from very close quarters when he heard that a junior ranking South African Minister had come to greet him.
As a naughty and arrogant child from Gujrat, PM Modi preferred not to alight from the Aircraft as he felt that he was insulted in an alarming manner by the South African authorities.
Sources say that some half an hour went by but PM Modi did not disembark from the Indian aircraft. He was expecting some one of high rank from the host country to salute him.
Somehow or the other, the news spread across entire South Africa and naturally its reverberations also approached the sitting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa who was by that time heavily engaged in greeting Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Sensing the gravity of the adverse situation that had developed, President Cyril dispatched his Vice President to greet PM Modi at the airport.
A happy PM Modi then alighted from the aircraft only to be greeted by a South African cultural troupe that was almost frightening for those who reside in this part of South Asian landmass. The welcome event of PM Modi was simply terrifying; however, it was the cultural dance of South Africa.
Hopefully, PM Modi must have taken few minutes to understand whether the bizarre dance of the SA troupe at the airport was for his welcome or something else?
To come to the point:
A subtle message to Indian PM Modi was conveyed in a most diplomatic manner which had it that for South Africa, the visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping was a global authority as compared to PM Modi who is yet to grow up talking in international stature.
Some even say that PM Modi was almost misbehaved for his infamy back in India recollecting the fresh Manipuri violence and the likes and so the protests inside South Africa.
Above all, PM Modi’s hatred against the minority Muslims had already approached South Africa prior to his landing in Johannesburg.
No wonder then PM Modi had to witness say a barrage of protests right in front of the BRICS Summit hall.
Protestors nearby the Summit area even shouted slogans like Modi go back…!.
Media reports claim that the protestors condemned the unabated oppression of Kashmiri people by Indian troops in IIOJK and persecution of minorities by Hindutva forces…they were holding banners bearing unpleasant slogans to PM Modi and the Indian nationals back in India.
Protestors also took to task PM Modi for his silence over Manipuri and Haryanvi violence.
A large number of human rights activists also held protest demonstrations near the Indian Consulate in Durban.
Modi’s protest in Johannesburg reminded us all of the similar protest in Paris this July when he visited Paris to negotiate Raphael deal.
The massive weapons deal and its procurements by India has certainly upset the South Asian regional stability.
Naturally, President Xi Jinping dominated the political scene during the entire period of the BRICS meet which must have pinched, let’s presume, the Indian Prime Minister to the hilt.
The most humiliating time came for PM Modi when he was almost ignored by the South African authorities at time of the BRICS attending leaders’ photo session.
Hardly could he be recognized in the photo.
Writes, Perter Fabricus for the Daily Maverick dated August 22, 2023, that while all the attention South Africa and its President was heaping on the visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping who was greeted beamingly by the host President Cyril Ramaphosa, a wealthy businessman, at the international airport.
Modi may have recalled how he greeted Nepal PM:
With this incident at the Johannesburg airport, PM Modi must have recalled as to how he had greeted Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda at the Delhi airport.
In fact, a few street dancers greeted PM Dahal with their bizarre rumba that it was, those who watched the event said.
The rest is story from South Africa for India’s school children in the primary schools to understand that India had a Prime Minister like Modi.
However, on 23rd August 2023, Vukani Mde, the spokesperson for the South African Deputy President, has strongly rejected a recent article in the South African newspaper Daily Maverick. The article in question discusses PM Modi visit to South Africa wherein he was awarded a lukewarm treatment.
The Spokesman Vukani Mde considers the report as a highly fabricated and without factual basis.
To recall, the BRICS had its 15th Summit that was held in South Africa very freshly which began right on August 22-24, 2023.
So far, BRICS comprises of countries like Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa.Russian President Vladimir Putin for some mysterious political reasons did not attend the BRICS Summit in person.
But yet Russian Federation was represented by the long serving and the most experienced Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
International experts say that in the recent years, the BRICS is slowly shifting to the Russia-China orbit which means that both Russia and China have made deep inroads inside Africa.
Peter in his story says that “Xi certainly dominated the day. For starters, he was granted an abbreviated state visit on the morning before the BRICS Summit began — his fourth state visit to South Africa”.
To recall, the BRICS block was founded as an informal club in 2009 to provide a platform for its members to challenge a world order dominated by the United States and its Western allies. The formation of the BRICS had the primary initiation of the Russian Federation.
As per the Reuters, August 22, 2023, over 40 countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Algeria, Bolivia, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Comoros, Gabon, and Kazakhstan have expressed interest in joining the forum, according to 2023 summit chair South Africa.
According to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, countries like Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have already been invited to join the BRICS club.
Reuters says, meanwhile all BRICS members publicly have expressed support for growing the bloc, there were sharp divisions among the attending BRICS leaders over how much and how quickly the membership be granted to the new members.
Why Pakistan is not in the BRICS club?
Reports trickling from Johannesburg reveal that China repeatedly insisted the top leaders of the present BRICS club; however, some glitches came in between the Chinese effort and Pakistan’s entry into the guild.
However, a negative media rumors emanating from India on Pakistan’s inclusion in the BRICS, a spokeswoman Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch issued the details of her weekly briefing.
She said, August 26, 2023, that Pakistan was yet to make a formal request to join the bloc of developing nations BRICS”.
Her statement came a day after the bloc — initially composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — added Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates to its ranks.
“We will examine the latest developments and make a determination about our future engagement with BRICS,” Ms Baloch clarified Pakistan’s position.
However, in a recent article written by Maheen Shafeeq in the News, Pakistan, says that Pakistan must not delay its membership in the BRICS as India has failed to do good to Global South.
According to Maheen “In 2001, Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O’Neill coined the acronym BRIC in a research paper, predicting a potential club of emerging economies. From there, BRIC grew and had its first summit in 2009. South Africa was accepted as a full member in 2010, and the group was renamed BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
Maheen says in her BRICS plus six article published recently that this year, for the first time Pakistan received an invite by China to attend the summit. Many in New Delhi are against Pakistan’s acceptance into the group.
But regardless of India’s efforts, Pakistan should not delay the request for membership.
Nepali observers say that Pakistan must find its due place in the BRICS club at least to tame India as a fitting equalizer.
Maheen rightfully then suggests in her article that the BRICS club top hats should also be mindful of India and its tactics of sabotaging every multilateral forum”.
That’s all.