India invites Pakistan to SCO culture ministers’ meeting in Delhi

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has received an invitation from India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Ministers of Culture meeting scheduled for November 20 and 21 in New Delhi, with Islamabad currently reviewing whether to send a delegation.

According to sources within Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, India has invited Federal Minister for Culture Aurangzeb Khan Khichi to participate in the two-day meeting. A final decision on the participation of Pakistani officials is expected after internal consultations.

The SCO culture ministers’ meeting will bring representatives of member states together in New Delhi on November 20 and 21.

Foreign Ministry sources said the invitation extended to Pakistan was under review. The government is expected to announce its decision on participation once the necessary consultations have been completed.

Pakistan and India are both permanent members of the SCO and have continued to participate in meetings hosted by one another, despite longstanding bilateral differences.

Pakistan and India have previously attended high-level SCO meetings held in each other’s countries.

Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari travelled to Goa on May 4–5, 2023, to attend the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting hosted by India.

Later, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Islamabad on October 15–16, 2024, to represent India at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting.

More recently, Alok Dimri, India’s National Coordinator for the SCO, visited Islamabad last month, according to the report.

The latest invitation for Pakistan’s culture minister comes against the backdrop of these previous diplomatic engagements within the organisation.