Pakistan minister to attend Delhi SCO meet, Islamabad announces
10963150 sco summit
- ✓10963150 sco summit
- ✓This was the first such invitation to a senior Pakistan minister since the May 2025 hostilities between India and Pakistan in the wake of Operation Sindoor.
- ✓Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 27 years...
Pakistan is sending its Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Minister Musadik Masood Malik to New Delhi for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Civilisational Dialogue Forum in the city on November 20-22. The announcement Saturday by Islamabad came a day after Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said he remained “hopeful” that Pakistan would confirm its participation.
Announcing the decision to attend the summit, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said, “The government of Pakistan has nominated Dr Musadik Masood Malik, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, to represent Pakistan at the SCO Civilisational Dialogue to be held in Delhi from 20-22 November, 2026.” “The event will bring together representatives from SCO member states to exchange views on issues related to civilisational dialogue and cultural understanding… The government of Pakistan remains committed to promoting dialogue among civilisations and fostering people-to-people contacts within the SCO framework in a spirit of mutual respect,” it said.
India had invited Culture and National Heritage Minister of Pakistan, Aurungzeb Khan Khichi, to the forum. This was the first such invitation to a senior Pakistan minister since the May 2025 hostilities between India and Pakistan in the wake of Operation Sindoor.
The last time India hosted a Pakistan minister was in May 2023 when the then Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, travelled to Goa for a meeting of the SCO Foreign Ministers. The invitation to Pakistan is part of Delhi’s obligation, as host of the SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum, to invite representatives from all SCO member countries.
Pakistan will be hosting the summit of SCO leaders next year. China, Kazakhstan, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Sri Lanka are among the countries that have already confirmed their participation in the Forum which will be hosted at the Purana Qila.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the inaugural ceremony on November 20, four key sessions will follow, themed around civilisational and cultural expression, art and architecture, and language, literature and manuscripts.
Shekhawat said India’s aim was to ensure that the SCO was not merely a geopolitical and economic platform but also a forum for shared civilisational heritage and human values. He said culture has the power to initiate dialogues and build bridges of trust between countries and civilisations.
Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 27 years... Read More
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| Issuing Authority | The Indian Express National |
|---|---|
| Topic Category | WORLD |
| Jurisdiction | All India / National |
| Publication Date | 14 November 2026 |