Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 28: India has invited all 10 member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), including Pakistan, to the inaugural Civilisational Dialogue Forum scheduled to be held in New Delhi from November 20 to 22. The forum aims to promote shared cultural heritage, historical connections and people-to-people ties among countries in the region.
Pakistan's Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, is among those invited. However, Islamabad has yet to confirm its representative for the event. The invitation comes amid strained relations between India and Pakistan following their military confrontation in May 2025.
The forum seeks to strengthen cultural engagement among SCO members through art, literature, traditions and historical links. Representatives from more than 25 countries are expected to participate, with the historic Purana Qila in Delhi being considered as a possible venue.
India's Ministry of Culture is organising the event in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs. Culture ministers from all 10 SCO member states have been invited, including India, Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus. Representatives from SCO observer states and dialogue partners are also expected to attend.
The initiative was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the SCO Council of Heads of State summit in Tianjin, China, in September 2025, and was subsequently adopted. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh formally announced India's decision to host the forum during the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on October 20, 2026.
The invitation to Pakistan comes against the backdrop of tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent military confrontation in May 2025. Despite strained bilateral ties, both countries have continued to participate in multilateral engagements under the SCO framework.
The invitation marks the first time India has invited a senior Pakistani minister to the country since Operation Sindoor in May 2025. If Khichi attends, it would be the first visit by a Pakistani minister to India since May 2023, when then foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari travelled to Goa for an SCO foreign ministers' meeting.
India has continued participating in SCO engagements hosted by Pakistan. In September 2026, India's SCO National Coordinator, Alok Dimri, travelled to Islamabad for a meeting related to the organisation's agenda and preparations. Pakistan is also scheduled to host the SCO leaders' summit in 2027.
The proposed forum provides an opportunity for cultural engagement through a multilateral platform. However, the invitation does not by itself indicate a change in India's bilateral policy towards Pakistan. Islamabad's decision on whether to send a representative will determine if a Pakistani minister attends the event.