Pakistan has nominated its Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Musadik Masood Malik, to represent the country at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi from November 20 to 22.

The planned visit would mark the first trip to India by a Pakistani federal minister in more than three years, as diplomatic engagement between the two neighboring countries remains limited following the military confrontation in May 2025.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Malik’s nomination on November 14, saying the forum would bring together representatives of SCO member states to exchange views on civilisational dialogue and cultural understanding.

In its statement, the ministry said Pakistan remained committed to promoting dialogue among civilisations and strengthening people-to-people contacts within the SCO framework, based on mutual respect.

Malik’s nomination follows India’s invitation to Pakistan to participate in the inaugural forum. India had invited Pakistan’s Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, but Islamabad subsequently nominated Malik to attend. Pakistan’s announcement did not explain the reason for selecting the climate minister instead.

The last visit to India by a Pakistani federal minister took place in May 2023, when then Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari travelled to Goa to attend the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting.

Cultural dialogue amid strained relations

The three-day forum is an Indian initiative intended to encourage cultural exchange, civilisational understanding and people-to-people connections across the Eurasian region. India’s ministries of Culture and External Affairs are jointly organising the event.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the inaugural gathering. Representatives from SCO member states and other invited countries are expected to participate.

The forum is intended to focus on shared cultural heritage and dialogue rather than bilateral political disputes. Its organisers see civilisational engagement as an opportunity to strengthen mutual understanding among participating countries.

India and Pakistan have maintained strained relations since the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and the military action that followed. The confrontation further reduced already limited diplomatic engagement between the two countries.

Despite these tensions, the SCO continues to provide a multilateral platform for both countries to participate in regional discussions. Pakistan assumed the organisation’s rotating chairmanship for 2026-27 and is scheduled to host the SCO leaders’ summit in Islamabad in August 2027.

Malik’s planned participation in the New Delhi forum will therefore be a notable diplomatic development, although it does not by itself indicate a broader improvement in bilateral relations. The meeting will offer an opportunity for official contact within a multilateral setting while the two countries continue to navigate significant political and security differences.