CNN Central News & Networks / ITDC India ePress / ITDC News /Agencies/ Bhopal: Pakistani minister may visit Delhi for SCO meeting after India invite
India has invited all member countries, including Pakistan, to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Civilisational Dialogue Forum. The three-day event will be held in New Delhi from November 20 to 22, 2026. Pakistan’s National Heritage and Culture Minister Aurangzeb Khan Khichi has also been invited. However, Pakistan has not yet clarified whether it will attend the meeting and, if it does, who will represent it.
Key initiative after Operation Sindoor: Tensions have persisted in India-Pakistan relations after Operation Sindoor in May 2025. In this context, the invitation to Pakistan on the SCO platform is being considered diplomatically significant. Earlier, in May 2023, Pakistan’s then foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had come to India to attend the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting held in Goa. Under the SCO process, member countries are invited to multilateral meetings.
Civilisational dialogue to be discussed in New Delhi: The aim of the SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum is to strengthen cultural ties among member countries and highlight their shared historical heritage. The meeting is expected to discuss subjects such as history, art, literature, traditions, education and cultural cooperation. Through this initiative, emphasis will be placed on promoting people-to-people contact and cultural exchanges among member countries.
Focus on Pakistan’s participation: After the invitation sent by India, Pakistan’s decision is now awaited. If the Pakistani minister attends the meeting, it will be an important diplomatic development amid strained relations between the two countries. However, it would be premature to see participation in an SCO multilateral meeting as a sign of a broader improvement in India-Pakistan bilateral relations. For now, official confirmation from Pakistan is awaited.
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