First Since Operation Sindoor: India Invites Pakistan, 9 Other SCO Nations For Inaugural Civilisational Dialogue Forum In Delhi

New Delhi: India has invited Pakistan and the other nine countries in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to attend the first-ever Civilisational Dialogue Forum. This event is planned to happen in New Delhi from November 20 to 22.  The invitation was extended in the midst of strained relations between New Delhi and Islamabad after the military conflict in May 2025.    

Pakistan's Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, has been invited along with others.  Pakistan has not yet decided who will be the country's representative at the event.  If Khichi comes, it would be the first time a Pakistani minister visits India since May 2023, when the previous Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, went to Goa for an SCO foreign ministers' meeting. 

The forum seeks to unite member countries by sharing common cultural heritage, historical connections, and interpersonal connections. 

What Is The SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum?

The inaugural forum will center on the cultural relationships between SCO member countries. There will be talks and events that will display art, literature, traditions, and the shared history among these nations.  More than 25 countries are expected to send representatives, and the historic Purana Qila in Delhi has been mentioned as a possible location for the event. 

The India's Ministry of Culture is holding the event along with the Ministry of External Affairs.  Culture ministers from all ten SCO member countries have been invited.These countries are Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. 

Representatives from observer states and dialogue partners are also expected to be present.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the idea to the SCO Council of Heads of State summit in Tianjin, China, in September 2025, which was later adopted by the organization. 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh shared India's intention to host the forum during his speech at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on October 20, 2026. 

"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 said.

Looking back on the organisation's 25 years, Singh talked about the discussion that happened at the SCO Summit in Bishkek regarding what has been achieved and where the organisation is heading next. 

“India gives great importance to our long-standing friendship with Tajikistan and our bond with Central Asian countries. During the SCO Summit in Bishkek, our leaders had outlined the 25 years of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. That occasion was about reviewing our shared journey as well as deliberating on the path to the future,” he said.

Singh also recalled Modi's call for practical steps to improve security, connectivity and opportunities across the SCO region.

Why Does Pakistan's Invitation Matter?

The invitation comes after the relations between India and Pakistan deteriorated after the Pahalgam terror attack and the military clash between the two countries in May 2025, during Operation Sindoor. 

Despite the tensions, both countries have continued to engage through the SCO, a multilateral grouping that brings together countries across Asia and Eurasia. India's invitation to a senior Pakistani minister is significant because it is the first such invitation since Operation Sindoor. Islamabad has not yet decided whether to send Khichi or another representative. 

India has kept on joining in the SCO events organized by Pakistan.  In September 2026, Alok Dimri, who is India's representative in the SCO, went to Islamabad for a meeting related to the organization's plans and work.  Pakistan is also planned to hold the SCO leaders' summit in 2027. 

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar was at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Dushanbe, and there, Singh made an announcement about the forum.  The invitation offers a chance to engage culturally through the SCO framework, but it doesn't mean India is changing its policies with Pakistan.

Rajnath Singh Calls For Unified Action Against Terrorism

During his address in Dushanbe, Singh also stressed that SCO members must work together to counter terrorism, which he described as a major threat to peace and development.

"Terrorism not only causes the loss of innocent lives but also disrupts investment and commerce. It radicalises society and deprives our youth of the opportunities they deserve,” he said. 

Calling for a common approach, the Defence Minister said countries should not apply different standards when dealing with terrorism. He also called for action against those who finance or support terrorist groups or provide them safe havens.

“There should be no double standards in dealing with terrorism, and no place for those who finance, support or provide safe havens to terrorists. The entire ecosystem of terrorism must be firmly and collectively dismantled,” he added.

Pakistan assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for the 2026-2027 term on September 1, 2026, taking over from Kyrgyzstan following the SCO summit in Bishkek.

The SCO has 10 member states, while Afghanistan and Mongolia are observer states. The organisation also has 15 dialogue partners. India became a full member in 2017. Whether Pakistan sends a minister to the Delhi forum remains to be seen.