Pakistan Receives India’s SCO Summit Invitation
Pakistan has received an invitation from India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi from November 20 to 22. Foreign Office Spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan confirmed the development at his weekly media briefing in Islamabad on Friday, November 6. He said a final decision on Pakistan’s participation will be taken by the country’s leadership after consultations among the relevant institutions.
What the invitation covers
The forum is the SCO’s first Civilisational Dialogue Forum, jointly organised by India’s Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of External Affairs. India announced on October 28 that invitations had been extended to all SCO member states in keeping with established practice, and Pakistan’s invitation arrived as part of that process. Pakistan’s National Heritage and Culture Minister Aurangzeb Khan Khichi is learnt to have been invited to attend the meeting, according to reports from the briefing.
Decision still pending
The Foreign Office was clear that no decision has yet been taken on whether Pakistan will attend. “A final decision on participation will be made by the country’s leadership following institutional consultations,” the spokesperson said, adding that the decision would follow the completion of institutional deliberations and established protocols. The spokesperson said Pakistan believed in constructive engagement and dialogue at regional and international forums.
Visas and the Kartarpur Corridor
At the same briefing, the Foreign Office said Pakistan had not stopped issuing visas to Indian citizens, and that more than 4,000 Sikh pilgrims had been issued visas this year. The spokesperson said there was no ban on issuing a Pakistani visa to the chief minister of the Indian state of Punjab. Islamabad also said it remained ready to welcome Sikh pilgrims through the Kartarpur Corridor once India lifts restrictions on their movement.
What is the SCO
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is a Eurasian political, economic and security grouping whose members include China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran and the Central Asian states. Pakistan became a full member in 2017. The New Delhi forum, focused on civilisational dialogue, is a cultural and diplomatic track rather than a leaders’ summit, but it is the first time India is hosting an SCO event of this kind and inviting all member states.
What happens next
With the forum less than two weeks away, attention now turns to Islamabad’s internal consultations. If Pakistan accepts, it would mark a rare diplomatic engagement between the two neighbours at a multilateral forum in the Indian capital. If it declines, the invitation itself still stands as a formal outreach under SCO practice. Either way, the Foreign Office has said the leadership will decide only after the established procedures are complete.
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Source: Dunya News, ETV Bharat, Hum English, 24 News HD and The Tribune India — 6 November 2026