First Since Operation Sindoor: India Invites Pakistan to SCO Meet in Delhi Next Month

India has invited Pakistan and other member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to a civilisational dialogue forum in New Delhi next month, marking the first invitation to a senior Pakistani minister for an event in India since the May 2025 military hostilities following Operation Sindoor.

The SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum will be held from November 20 to 22, with invitations extended to all member countries, dialogue partners and one observer nation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that the invitations had been issued in line with established practice. Pakistan's National Heritage and Culture Minister, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, is understood to have been invited to attend the meeting. His participation, however, has not yet been confirmed.

The forum is being jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture and the MEA and will bring participating countries together for discussions centred on civilisational heritage and cultural engagement.

The November meeting will provide an opportunity for cultural engagement among SCO members even as India continues to press Pakistan on cross-border terrorism and the security concerns that have shaped bilateral relations since Operation Sindoor.