India has invited Pakistan’s Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, to attend the inaugural Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi from November 20 to 22, diplomatic sources said.
The invitation marks the first such invitation to a senior Pakistani minister since India launched Operation Sindoor in May 2025 following the Pahalgam terror attack. Relations between the two countries have remained strained since the military operation.
India has invited all 10 SCO member states to participate in the forum, which is intended to strengthen cultural ties and promote mutual understanding among participating countries. If Khichi attends, it would mark the first visit by a senior Pakistani minister to India since then Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Goa in May 2023.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced the forum at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on October 20. He said India would host the first edition and had invited all member states.
During the meeting, Singh also called for a firm and consistent international response to terrorism, arguing that countries should not apply different standards when addressing the issue. He urged member states to collectively dismantle the networks that finance, support or provide safe havens to terrorist groups.
Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar was present at the meeting.
The SCO currently comprises Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India became a full member in 2017. Afghanistan and Mongolia hold observer status, while the organisation also has 15 dialogue partners.
Pakistan assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for the 2026-27 term on September 1, taking over from Kyrgyzstan after the summit in Bishkek.
The proposed forum creates an opportunity for cultural engagement among member states, although Pakistan’s participation remains unconfirmed in the supplied report.
Source: India Today
