India is hosting the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) first meeting of the Civilisational Dialogue Forum in Delhi on 20-22 November. The idea of such a forum originated from an Indian proposal at the organisation’s Heads of States summit in China's Tianjin last year.
At this year’s Heads of States summit in Bishkek, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address said, “Last year, India proposed the SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum. I'm pleased that its first session will be held in India... I'm confident that with the active participation of all of you, this forum will become a strong platform for vibrant dialogue within the SCO.”
The Bishkek summit communique “welcome[d] the convening of the SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum in autumn 2026 in India.”
Having called for the “active participation” of all SCO member-states, observers and dialogue partners, it was only fitting that India extended an invitation to Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, Pakistan’s Minister for National Heritage and Culture, to participate in the forum. Pakistan has not yet responded to India’s invitation.
If Khichi participates in this meeting, it will be the first occasion for a ministerial-level visit from India’s neighbour since that of its then foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto in May 2023. Bhutto had come to India for the SCO’s foreign ministers meeting. The last time an Indian minister had visited Pakistan was when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had represented India at the SCO Heads of Governments meeting in Islamabad in October 2024.
The invitation to Khichi is in the context of the SCO. Yet, it has been reported prominently in the Indian media. This is because of the lack of contact between the two countries since Operation Sindoor last May.
Is the invitation to Khichi a sign that Modi wishes to begin to thaw India-Pakistan bilateral ties which have been in the freezer since Operation Sindoor?