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India has invited Pakistan’s Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, to its inaugural Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi from November 20 to 22, diplomatic sources said.
The invitation has been extended to all 10 member states of the grouping, including Pakistan.
The move comes amid strained India-Pakistan relations following Operation Sindoor, launched by India in May 2025 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. It marks the first invitation to a senior Pakistani Minister to visit India since the military operation.
If Khichi attends the forum, it would mark the first visit by a senior Pakistani Minister to India since then 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, inviting all member countries 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,” Rajnath Singh said.
The forum aims to strengthen cultural ties, encourage dialogue and promote mutual understanding among SCO member states. Its proposed participation by Pakistan comes against the backdrop of continuing diplomatic tensions between the two neighbours.
Rajnath Singh called for a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, urging SCO members to reject double standards and dismantle networks that finance, support or shelter terrorists.
Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar attended the meeting.
Pakistan assumed the SCO Council of Heads of State’s rotating chairmanship for 2026–27 on September 1, succeeding Kyrgyzstan.
The 10-member bloc includes India, Pakistan, China and Russia, while Afghanistan and Mongolia hold observer status.
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