India has invited Pakistan to participate in the inaugural Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi, marking a significant diplomatic development nearly 18 months after Operation Sindoor. Scheduled for November 20–22, 2026, the gathering will bring together representatives from all 10 SCO member states to strengthen cultural relations, encourage mutual understanding and promote regional engagement.
The invitation is notable because it comes amid strained relations between New Delhi and Islamabad following the military confrontation in May 2025. However, the initiative is being organised as a multilateral cultural engagement, with invitations extended to every SCO member rather than Pakistan alone.
Pakistan Receives Invitation for Cultural Dialogue
Pakistani Minister for National Heritage and Culture Aurangzeb Khan Khichi has been invited by India to attend the SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum. It is still uncertain whether Khichi or any other official from Pakistan will be attending the event.
Khichi’s attendance would mean the first visit of a high-ranking Pakistani official to India after May 2023 when the former foreign minister of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, visited Goa for an SCO Council of Foreign Ministers’ meet. This shows that the upcoming forum has significant diplomatic implications despite the absence of any bilateral interaction between the two nations.
SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum aims at helping member states build links on the basis of history and cooperation in cultural affairs.
Operation Sindoor and Strained India-Pakistan Relations
This invitation is made at a time when there still exist tensions between the two neighboring countries. In May 2025, India began ‘Operation Sindoor’ in response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, resulting in the death of 26 people. This event was followed by military conflict between India and Pakistan.
Tensions have persisted ever since, thus, making this invitation a crucial event in the countries’ dialogue via multilateral organizations.
However, involvement in the SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum does not mean the beginning of the improvement in their bilateral relations. The invitation of India represents the country’s involvement in the framework of the SCO, in which all members are engaged in regional dialogues despite political disagreements.
This forum proves that involvement in diplomatic dialog in an international organization differs from the problems related to direct bilateral relations between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Rajnath Singh Calls for Collective Action Against Terrorism
This development came on the back of Rajnath Singh’s speech during the SCO Council of Heads of Government held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on October 20. During his speech, while making India’s plans of hosting the SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum known, Singh underscored the need for building ties and cooperation amongst the member countries in the cultural sector.
Moreover, Singh spoke strongly against terrorism and reiterated the need for maintaining a uniform stance without any double standards. He called upon the member states of the SCO to break down the networks of terrorism, which finance and help terrorists.
In the same forum, Singh addressed the conference while Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan Ishaq Dar was present there. This shows the difference in India’s approach to tackling terrorism in comparison to its involvement in multilateral forums including Pakistan.
What the SCO Forum Means for Regional Cooperation
The SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum is an initiative introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the SCO summit in Tianjin, China, held in September 2025. The forum will be hosted for the first time with the coordination of the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of External Affairs of India.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation consists of 10 member countries; India, Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India joined as a member country in 2017.
The main focus of the SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum will be cultural interactions and dialogue on the common history and education cooperation. The main aim of the forum is to facilitate interaction at regional level regardless of the present political and security conflicts.
Pakistan has taken over the SCO Chairmanship for the year 2026-27 from September 1, 2026, and the next summit of SCO will be held in August 2027.
Pakistan’s Participation Remains Uncertain
The invitation to India creates another way of engaging within a regional organization; however, the diplomatic impact of the invitation will depend on the response from Pakistan. Participation of cultural delegations from both countries in the same forum could be considered as an opportunity for them to attend an international event without making any kind of diplomatic breakthroughs in their bilateral relationships.
Nowadays, the main emphasis is being placed on the schedule of the forum in November, the participation of member countries and topics discussed. If the minister of Pakistan comes, then it means that the invitation will become the occasion for his official visit.
Thus, the SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum may be regarded as an opportunity for multilateral cooperation under the condition that India-Pakistan relations are delicate nowadays.