India will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) first-ever Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi from 20 to 22 November 2026, with culture ministers from all 10 SCO member states and representatives of more than 25 countries expected to attend, according to diplomatic sources. Pakistan's Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurungzeb Khan Khichi, is among those invited — a development that adds a pointed diplomatic dimension to an otherwise cultural gathering.

Venue and Inauguration

The three-day forum will be held at Purana Quila, the historic 16th-century fort in the national capital. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the event. The choice of Purana Quila is deliberate: it underscores India's emphasis on projecting its civilisational continuity as it anchors a major multilateral cultural platform. The forum is being co-organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of External Affairs.

Origins and Agenda

The initiative traces back to PM Modi's proposal at the SCO leaders' summit in Tianjin in 2025, which was subsequently adopted by the grouping. The forum will focus on civilisational linkages, cultural diplomacy, and collaborative frameworks in heritage, education, and traditional knowledge systems. Invitees include culture ministers from member states Russia, China, the UAE, Iran, and Belarus, as well as representatives from observer and dialogue partner countries.

The Pakistan Factor

Pakistan has yet to confirm its representative at the forum. Should Minister Khichi attend, it would mark the first visit by a Pakistani minister to India since the SCO foreign ministers' meeting in Goa in 2023, which was attended by then-foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto. Despite persistently strained bilateral relations, India has maintained engagement with Pakistan within the SCO framework. In September 2026, India sent its SCO National Coordinator Alok Dimri to Islamabad for a coordination meeting ahead of Pakistan's presidency of the grouping and the planned SCO leaders' summit scheduled for August 2027.

Broader Significance

Officials characterised the forum as a platform to promote cultural understanding, shared heritage, and people-to-people exchanges among SCO states and partners. Notably, India's hosting of this inaugural forum comes as New Delhi seeks to shape the SCO's cultural and civilisational agenda — positioning itself not merely as a member, but as an intellectual driver of the grouping's non-security discourse. With participation spanning Central Asia, West Asia, and beyond, the forum signals India's intent to use multilateral cultural diplomacy as a complement to its geopolitical outreach.

All eyes will be on Islamabad's final confirmation, with the forum's opening on 20 November now under six weeks away.