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Islamabad has nominated Dr Musadik Masood Malik, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, to represent the country at the three-day event, according to an official statement issued by the Pakistan Government.
The decision marks Pakistan’s acceptance of India’s invitation to the inaugural forum, which will bring together representatives of SCO member states to deliberate on civilisational dialogue and cultural understanding.
In its statement, Pakistan said it remained committed to promoting dialogue among civilisations and fostering people-to-people contact within the SCO framework in a spirit of mutual respect.
India had initially invited Pakistan’s Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi. However, Islamabad had been examining the invitation, with the level of representation remaining uncertain.
The nomination of Malik, who holds the climate change portfolio, instead of the culture minister, is also notable given the forum's focus on cultural and civilisational engagement.
The participation comes against the backdrop of a prolonged freeze in India-Pakistan relations following the May 2025 military confrontation, triggered by the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The confrontation, involving missile, drone and artillery exchange, ended with a ceasefire understanding on May 10.
Subsequent reciprocal measures, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by India, restrictions on travel and diplomatic engagement, and Pakistan’s suspension of bilateral trade and closure of its airspace to Indian aircraft, further strained ties.
The SCO, therefore, remains among the few multilateral platforms where the two countries continue to engage officially.
The Civilisational Dialogue Forum was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the SCO summit in Tianjin in September 2025. The initiative seeks to promote people-to-people contact and provide member states a platform to showcase their civilisational heritage, art, literature and cultural traditions.
India has invited culture ministers from all 10 SCO member states, including China, Russia, Iran, Belarus and the Central Asian countries, as well as representatives of observer countries. Fifteen countries, including China, Iran, Nepal and Türkiye, have so far confirmed their participation.
The latest participation decision comes as Pakistan prepares to host the SCO Heads of State summit in Islamabad in August 2027. India and Pakistan have continued to participate in SCO engagements despite their bilateral tensions, including ministerial and officials-level meetings.
Three years ago, Pakistan’s then Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari visited Goa in May 2023 for the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting, the first visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to India in nearly 12 years.
In October 2024, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar travelled to Islamabad to represent India at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting.
More recently, India’s SCO National Coordinator Alok Dimri visited Islamabad for a meeting of national coordinators under Pakistan’s 2026-27 SCO chairmanship. The discussions covered the organisation’s programme of activities and preparations for forthcoming meetings.