India Invites Pakistan Minister to SCO Civilisational Forum
- India hosts the first SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi from November 20-22.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the event at Purana Quila.
- Pakistan's Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurungzeb Khan Khichi, has been invited.
- The forum includes representatives from over 25 countries and all 10 SCO member states.
- This marks the first invitation to a Pakistani minister for an Indian event since 2023.
From November 20 to 22, 2026, New Delhi will be the venue for the inaugural Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Civilisational Dialogue Forum, hosted by India. It is anticipated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open the three-day gathering, which is set to take place at Purana Quila, a 16th-century fort located in the national capital.
The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of External Affairs are organizing the forum to discuss civilisational linkages, cultural diplomacy, and heritage.
Earlier this month, the Embassy of India in Azerbaijan participated in the 12th Baku International Book Fair to showcase the nation's literary and spiritual heritage. Abhay Kumar, the Ambassador of India to Azerbaijan, opened the Indian stall and extended a welcome to Adil Karimli, Azerbaijan's Minister of Culture.
The stall also provided information on Indian tourism, iconic landmarks, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites to encourage further cultural exchange.
Pakistan's Minister Aurungzeb Khan Khichi invited to attend
The Hindu reported this is the first such invitation extended to a Pakistani minister since 2023.
Moneycontrol.com reported this invitation is the first since Operation Sindoor. Should Minister Khichi participate, his trip would represent the first visit to India by a Pakistani minister since Bilawal Bhutto attended the 2023 SCO foreign ministers' meeting in Goa.
As of October 27, 2026, Pakistan has not yet confirmed who will represent the country at the forum.
Global participation from 25 countries and 10 SCO members
The forum will include representatives from more than 25 countries, according to NDTV. According to an NDTV report, invitations to the event have been extended to the culture ministers of every one of the 10 SCO member states.
These member states include Russia, China, the UAE, Iran, and Belarus.
Prime Minister Modi's 2025 Tianjin proposal realized
The initiative was put forward by Prime Minister Modi during the 2025 SCO leaders' summit held in Tianjin. The SCO grouping subsequently adopted the proposal, NDTV reported.
Diplomatic engagement follows September 2026 Islamabad visit
As reported by NDTV, Alok Dimri, India's SCO National Coordinator, traveled to Islamabad in September 2026 to attend a meeting. Discussions at the meeting centered on the SCO leaders' summit slated for August 2027 and Pakistan's presidency of the organization.
Historical roots of the dialogue among civilisations concept
The notion of 'Dialogue Among Civilizations' was put forward by former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami as a counter to Samuel P. Huntington's 'Clash of Civilizations' theory. In a 1972 letter sent to UNESCO, Austrian philosopher Hans Köchler initially suggested the concept of holding an international conference focused on the dialogue between various civilizations.
With the backing of Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor, Köchler arranged the inaugural international conference regarding the role of intercultural dialogue in 1974.
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