India will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) first Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi from November 20 to 22, with Pakistan among the 10 member states invited to participate in the three-day event.
Pakistan’s Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurungzeb Khan Khichi, has been invited to attend the forum. However, Pakistan is yet to confirm who will represent the country at the gathering.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the forum, which will bring together representatives from more than 25 countries at Purana Quila, the historic 16th-century fort in the national capital.
The Ministry of Culture is organising the event in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs.
The choice of Purana
Quila as the venue highlights India’s emphasis on showcasing its historical and civilisational heritage while hosting a multilateral cultural gathering.
FOCUS ON CULTURAL DIPLOMACY, SHARED HERITAGE
The forum is expected to feature discussions on civilisational linkages, cultural diplomacy and collaborative initiatives in heritage, education and traditional knowledge systems.
According to officials, the initiative aims to promote cultural understanding, shared heritage and people-to-people exchanges among SCO member states and partner countries.
The proposal for the Civilisational Dialogue Forum was put forward by Prime Minister Modi at the SCO leaders’ summit in Tianjin in 2025 and was subsequently adopted by the grouping.
Culture ministers from all 10 SCO member states have been invited to the event. These include Russia, China, the UAE, Iran, Belarus and Pakistan. Representatives from observer and dialogue partner countries have also been invited.
With participation expected from a wide range of countries, the forum is intended to provide a platform for dialogue and cooperation through cultural and civilisational engagement.
Pakistan’s participation is being closely watched amid strained bilateral relations between the two countries.
If Minister Khichi attends, it would mark the first visit by a Pakistani minister to India since the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa in 2023, which was attended by Pakistan’s then foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto.
Despite tensions in bilateral ties, India has continued to engage with Pakistan through the SCO framework.
In September 2026, India sent its SCO National Coordinator, Alok Dimri, to Islamabad for a meeting ahead of Pakistan’s presidency of the grouping and the planned SCO leaders’ summit scheduled for August 2027.
Pakistan’s decision on ministerial representation at the Civilisational Dialogue Forum remains awaited.
The upcoming gathering will bring together SCO member states and partner countries to discuss shared cultural traditions, heritage and avenues for cooperation. The event also reflects India’s continued engagement with the multilateral grouping through cultural diplomacy and people-to-people exchanges.
