India has invited Pakistan’s National Heritage and Culture Minister Aurangzeb Khan Khichi for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) ’s Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi on November 20-21, sources told The Indian Express Tuesday.

This is the first such invitation by India to a senior minister of Pakistan ever since the military hostilities between the two countries in the wake of Operation Sindoor in May 2025 following the Pahalgam terror attack.

The last time India hosted a senior minister of Pakistan was in May 2023 when Bilawal Bhutto, who was then the Foreign Minister of his country, travelled to Goa for a meeting of the SCO Foreign Ministers.

The invitation to Pakistan’s minister is part of Delhi’s obligation to invite representatives from all SCO member countries since it had proposed to host the SCO civilisational dialogue forum. Pakistan is scheduled to host the summit of SCO leaders next year.

For Delhi, the diplomatic task is cut out.…