New Delhi: India has invited Pakistan alongside other Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) members to its inaugural civilizational dialogue forum in New Delhi, scheduled for 20–22 November. The invitation comes amid strained bilateral relations following the 2025 Pahalgam terrorist attack and Operation Sindoor, but forms part of a wider regional cultural initiative.
Pakistan’s federal minister for national heritage and culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, is among those invited, Hindustan Times reported. Islamabad has not confirmed his attendance or named a delegation, and no India-Pakistan bilateral meeting has been announced.
Officials cited by Hindustan Times said invitations were extended to all 10 SCO members and should not be interpreted as a shift in New Delhi’s policy towards Islamabad.
Forum focuses on shared cultural heritage
Jointly organized by the ministries of culture and external affairs, the forum aims to promote cooperation through shared history, art, literature, cultural traditions and people-to-people exchanges.
The prime minister, Narendra Modi, proposed a civilizational dialogue at the SCO summit in Tianjin in September 2025. India reaffirmed plans to host the forum at the grouping’s Bishkek summit this September, while defence minister, Rajnath Singh, invited members to participate during the SCO council of heads of government meeting in Dushanbe on 20 October.
The New Indian Express reported that representatives from more than 25 member, observer and dialogue partner countries have been invited. Modi is expected to inaugurate the event at Purana Qila in Delhi, although the proposed venue and inauguration arrangements have not been officially confirmed.
Terrorism remains central to India’s concerns
Relations worsened after terrorists killed 26 people in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, on 22 April 2025.
India launched Operation Sindoor on 7 May, striking nine sites it identified as terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (POK). According to Indian government estimates, more than 100 terrorists were killed. The subsequent military confrontation also involved Indian strikes on Pakistani airbases and military installations before both countries agreed to halt firing on 10 May.
India continues to demand concerted action against cross-border terrorism. Addressing the 25th SCO council of heads of government meeting in Dushanbe on 20 October, the defence minister, Rajnath Singh, called for dismantling terrorist networks and rejecting double standards in counterterrorism efforts. His remarks came at a meeting also attended by Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar.
SCO contacts continue despite tensions
The SCO brings India and Pakistan into the same multilateral organization alongside China, Russia, Iran, Belarus and four Central Asian countries, providing a forum for regional cooperation despite unresolved bilateral disputes.
Pakistan’s the-then foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, attended an SCO foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa in May 2023. The external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, visited Islamabad for the SCO council of heads of government meeting in October 2024.
India also sent SCO national coordinator, Alok Dimri, to a meeting in Islamabad in September 2026, where regional connectivity, transit and trade were discussed.
Pakistan’s decision on whether to attend the Delhi forum remains pending. Its invitation permits participation in a common SCO event but does not, by itself, establish renewed bilateral dialogue.