Pakistan Minister to Visit India for SCO Civilisational Dialogue
Pakistan has nominated Musadik Masood Malik to attend the SCO Civilisational Dialogue in New Delhi, marking the first Pakistani ministerial visit to India in over three years.
The Government of India is organizing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi from November 20 to 22, 2026. Jointly hosted by the ministries of culture and external affairs, the event aims to expand the SCO's focus beyond geopolitics and economics to include shared human values, art, and literature. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the inaugural ceremony on November 20.
In a notable diplomatic development, the Government of Pakistan has nominated Musadik Masood Malik, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, to represent the country. This marks the first visit by a Pakistani minister to India in over three years, following Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's visit in May 2023. The visit occurs amid strained relations following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and India's subsequent military response, Operation Sindoor.
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat confirmed that 15 of the 25 invited nations have accepted, including Russia, China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. The dialogue comes as Pakistan prepares to assume the rotating chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for the 2026-2027 term and prepare for an upcoming SCO summit in Islamabad next year.
