Pakistan minister likely to visit India between Nov 20-22 for SCO dialogue

Pakistan’s climate minister Musadik Masood Malik is likely to visit India later this month after he was nominated to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) civilizational dialogue in Delhi, Pakistan's foreign ministry said on Saturday.

Pakistan’s climate minister Musadik Masood MalikAnnouncing the minister's nomination for the event, Pakistan said it ‘remains committed to promoting dialogue among civilisations and fostering people-to-people contacts within the SCO framework in a spirit of mutual respect.’ If the visit goes through, it will be the first time a Pakistani minister arrives in India in more than three years.

The ties between the two countries worsened in April 2025 following a terrorist attack in J&K’s Pahalgam in which 26 civilians were killed. In response to the attack, India launched a military action against terror launchpads in Pakistan under Operation Sindoor.

The military face-off ended with a ceasefire on May 9. On Friday, India confirmed that invites for the upcoming civilisational dialogue forum had been sent to several nations, including all 10 member states of the SCO, of which Pakistan is also a part.

Union culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said he remained "hopeful" that Pakistan would attend the forum. “…As far as Pakistan is concerned, Pakistan's civilization and cultural development is no different from ours.

It has been less than 100 years—less than 80 years—since they separated from us; otherwise, their evolution happened alongside ours,” he said. The event is scheduled to be held in New Delhi from November 20 to 22. Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that preparations are underway for the event in Delhi.

"Several countries, including the SCO members, have been invited to this dialogue, which is to take place in New Delhi, and that is where it is. We look forward to hosting this Civilizational Dialogue," Jaiswal was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The inaugural session of the SCO civilizational dialogue forum, an initiative proposed by India to foster cultural exchange and people-to-people ties across Eurasia, is scheduled to be held in New Delhi later this month.

Alongside full SCO member states, India has also invited dialogue partners and observer countries to participate in the forum. Follow the latest breaking news, major developments and agenda-setting stories from India and around the world with the newsdesk at Hindustan Times.

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