India invites Pakistan to participate in SCO Summit

India has invited Pakistan to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, to be held in New Delhi from 20-22 November. The event is being jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of External Affairs. India has invited all SCO member nations, including Pakistan, to attend this summit, an announcement that was made on 28 October.

Sajjad Haider, spokesperson for Pakistan's Foreign Office, confirmed the matter during his weekly media briefing on Friday. He stated that Pakistan's leadership will take a final decision regarding participation in the event after consulting various institutions. Pakistan will decide on its participation in the Civilizational Dialogue Forum at the end of this month.

Pakistan's Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, has been invited to attend the meeting, but there is still uncertainty regarding his presence. Following the military clash between the two countries in May last year, it is considered significant for New Delhi to extend such an invitation to a senior Pakistani minister.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, and international security organization comprising ten member countries. It focuses on political, economic, security, and anti-terrorism cooperation.