New Delhi, 28 October 2026: India has officially invited all the 10 member countries of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), including Pakistan, for the first 'Civility Dialogue Forum' to be held in New Delhi from 20 to 22 November. This is the first major invitation extended by India to Pakistan after the military standoff between the two countries following 'Operation Sindoor' after the Pahalgam terror attack in May 2025.
The proposal of this dialogue to be organized as a joint initiative of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of External Affairs was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the summit conference of SCO leaders held in Tianjin last year, which was accepted by the SCO Council. The government has sent an invitation to Pakistan's National Heritage and Culture Minister Aurangzeb Khan Khichi for this meeting. Apart from this, culture ministers of 10 member countries including China, Russia, Iran, Belarus and Central Asian countries, 15 dialogue partners and representatives of observer countries have also been invited. According to media reports, Pakistan has not yet confirmed who will lead its delegation in this meeting. If Aurangzeb Khan Khichi attends this, then this will be the first time after the SCO Foreign Ministers' Meet in 2023 that India will host a minister from Pakistan.
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The event will be held in Delhi's historical 'Purana Qilla'
According to officials, this grand 'Civilization Dialogue Forum' will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This program will be organized in the historical 'Purana Fort' of Delhi. This fort, built by Humayun in the 16th century, has been the site of many archaeological excavations, where through the excavations, a glimpse of India's grand history of about 3 thousand years can be seen.
Due to political differences with Pakistan, since 2016, the Modi government has refused to participate in the meetings of 'South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation' (SAARC) held in Islamabad. However, India has previously participated in SCO meetings, including SCO-RATS meetings. In September, India sent its SCO National Coordinator Alok Dimri to Islamabad. These visits were part of the preparations for the leaders' summit to be held in August 2027 under the SCO chairmanship of Pakistan. Now at the international level, all eyes are on who will represent India in the SCO 'Heads of State' summit to be held next year.