India has invited all 10 member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), including Pakistan, to participate in its inaugural Civilisational Dialogue Forum, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from November 20 to 22, Indian media reported on Wednesday.
The invitation marks the first time since the four-day war between India and Pakistan last year that India has invited a senior Pakistani minister to the country.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced the initiative at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on October 20, confirming that all member states had been invited to participate.
“At the end of this year, India will host the first SCO Civilisation Dialogue Forum. We invite all SCO countries to participate in it,” Singh had said.
Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar was present at the meeting.
Pakistan’s Minister for National Heritage and Culture Aurangzeb Khan Khichi has been invited to the forum, according to diplomatic sources cited by India Today. The forum aims to strengthen cultural ties and foster mutual understanding among SCO member states.
The invitation comes against the backdrop of strained relations between India and Pakistan following their four-day war, launched by India in May 2025 in what it described as a response to an attack in India-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam, for which India blamed Pakistan. Pakistan firmly denied the accusations, for which India has provided no evidence.
If Khichi attends the event, it would mark the first visit by a senior Pakistani minister to India since then-Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari participated in the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Goa in May 2023.
The proposed forum is aimed at deepening cultural engagement and promoting greater mutual understanding among the countries in the grouping.
Pakistan has yet to issue any official statement regarding its possible attendance.
Pakistan assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for the 2026-27 term on September 1. It took over the position from Kyrgyzstan following the SCO summit held in Bishkek.
The SCO has 10 member states: Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India became a full member of the organisation in 2017.
