Published : 28 Oct 2026, 11:53 PM
Updated : 28 Oct 2026, 11:53 PM
India has invited Pakistan’s Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, to a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) forum in New Delhi next month
This will open a rare diplomatic window amid strained ties between the neighbours.
India Today reported that all 10 SCO member states, including Pakistan, have been invited to the inaugural Civilisational Dialogue Forum, scheduled for Nov 20-22.
The invitation marks the first to a senior Pakistani minister since India launched Operation Sindoor in May 2025 following the Pahalgam terror attack.
If Khichi attends, it would be the first visit by a senior Pakistani minister to India since Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari travelled to Goa for an SCO meeting in May 2023, India Today reported.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced the forum at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Tajikistan’s Dushanbe on Oct 20, inviting all member states to participate.
The initiative aims to strengthen cultural links and foster mutual understanding across the grouping.
Singh also urged member states to adopt a firm, consistent stance against terrorism, warning against double standards and calling for collective action against those who finance, support or shelter militant groups.
Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar attended the Dushanbe meeting.
Pakistan assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for 2026-27 on Sept 1, succeeding Kyrgyzstan after the summit in Bishkek.
The 10-member bloc 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 15 other countries are dialogue partners.
