Pakistan will send Climate Change Minister Musadik Masood Malik to New Delhi for the SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum from November 20 to 22. This marks the first such visit in over three years. The event focuses on cultural ties, as Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat seeks better regional harmony.
The three-day forum in New Delhi will bring together SCO members for discussions on culture and civilisational ties
Pakistan has decided to send its Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Minister Musadik Masood Malik to New Delhi for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Civilisational Dialogue Forum, scheduled from November 20 to 22.
Malik will represent Islamabad at the three-day gathering, according to Pakistan's foreign ministry.
The inaugural forum will bring together representatives of SCO member countries for discussions centred on cultural understanding and civilisational ties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the event.
The dialogue is being jointly organised by the Union ministries of Culture and External Affairs.
"The Government of Pakistan has nominated Dr. Musadik Masood Malik, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, to represent Pakistan at the SCO Civilisational Dialogue to be held in New Delhi from 20 to 22 November 2026," the statement released by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The announcement came as Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said on Friday that 15 countries, including China, Kazakhstan, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, had confirmed their participation in the inaugural forum and expressed hope that Pakistan would also attend.
Speaking to reporters at Bharat Mandapam on Friday, Shekhawat was asked whether sensitive issues involving Pakistan and China -- including terrorism, the border and bilateral disputes -- could come up during the forum.
Shekhawat said the focus of the gathering would be cultural and civilisational ties rather than geopolitical differences, arguing that India and Pakistan shared a common historical and cultural evolution despite their political separation.
"Their evolution has happened parallelly with us. Therefore, there doesn't seem to be a possibility that they will have any differences over this (cultural civilisation) subject," he said, referring to Pakistan.
He added that while geopolitical, strategic and bilateral issues existed between countries, the forum would seek to explore ways to strengthen cultural relations and create greater dialogue and harmony among people.
"At this forum, there will be discussions on how we can reinforce a cultural relation, in coming time, and can establish a better dialogue and harmony between countries, and in between the people of the countries," Shekhawat said.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has expanded significantly since it was established in 2001, when China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan came together to form the grouping.
India and Pakistan joined as full members in 2017, while Iran became the latest country to secure permanent membership in 2023.
The organisation describes its core objectives as building trust and friendly relations among member states, while using multilateral cooperation to promote regional peace, security and stability.
The SCO's wider network also extends beyond its full members through observer and dialogue-partner categories.