Pakistan Reviews Indian Invite for SCO Culture Meeting in Delhi

India has invited Pakistan to participate in a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation culture ministers’ meeting scheduled for November 20 and 21 in New Delhi. Islamabad is reviewing the invitation and has not yet decided whether it will send an official delegation to the two-day regional gathering.

Foreign Ministry sources confirmed that the invitation was addressed to Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture Aurangzeb Khan Khichi. The meeting will convene culture ministers and representatives from SCO member states to discuss cooperation and cultural engagement within the organisation.

Pakistan is expected to announce its response after completing consultations among the relevant ministries and government authorities. No deadline for accepting the invitation or details about the proposed delegation have been disclosed, leaving Islamabad’s participation undecided for now.

The invitation creates another channel for formal contact between Pakistan and India despite their strained bilateral relationship. Both countries continue to participate in SCO activities because decisions concerning attendance are handled within the organisation’s multilateral framework rather than solely through their bilateral relationship.

Pakistan and India became full members of the SCO in 2017. The organisation provides a platform for cooperation covering regional security, trade, connectivity, education and culture, allowing member states with political differences to remain engaged in discussions concerning shared regional priorities.

Previous SCO meetings have produced notable diplomatic visits between the two neighbours. In May 2023, then-foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari travelled to Goa for the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers, marking the first visit to India by a senior Pakistani foreign policy official in several years.

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar later visited Islamabad on October 15 and 16, 2024, to represent his country at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting. More recently, India’s SCO National Coordinator Alok Dimri travelled to Islamabad for consultations connected to the organisation’s upcoming programme.

Pakistan is also preparing for a larger role in the regional organisation and is expected to assume the SCO chairmanship in 2027. Cultural diplomacy could therefore become increasingly relevant as Islamabad prepares to host meetings and coordinate activities involving all member states, including India.

If Pakistan accepts the New Delhi invitation, the visit would maintain a pattern of limited but functional engagement through multilateral forums. The government’s final decision will indicate whether both countries can continue official-level contact on cultural cooperation while their broader political disputes remain unresolved.