Musadik Malik to Represent Pakistan at SCO Civilisational Dialogue in Delhi

Pakistan has nominated Climate Change Minister Dr Musadik Masood Malik to represent it at the SCO Civilisational Dialogue in New Delhi, held under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The three-day gathering runs from November 20 to 22.

The Foreign Office announced the nomination on Saturday. It said the event would bring together representatives of SCO member states to discuss civilisational dialogue and cultural understanding.

What the Foreign Office said about the SCO Civilisational Dialogue

In its statement, the Foreign Office said Pakistan wanted to encourage dialogue among civilisations and strengthen people-to-people contacts within the SCO framework, guided by mutual respect.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also confirmed Pakistan's participation on X. He noted that Pakistan chairs the SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) for 2026-27.

According to reports, 10 SCO members, Pakistan among them, have been invited to the inaugural SCO Civilisational Dialogue, and New Delhi proposed the event. Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a Friday briefing that India had invited several member states and looked forward to hosting the meeting.

The government of Pakistan remains committed to promoting dialogue among civilisations and fostering people-to-people contacts within the SCO framework in a spirit of mutual respect

Foreign Office statement

Explained: what is the SCO Civilisational Dialogue?

The SCO Civilisational Dialogue is a three-day gathering in New Delhi, from November 20 to 22, of representatives of SCO member states. According to reports, India proposed the event and 10 member states have been invited, Pakistan among them. The Foreign Office said it is meant to discuss civilisational dialogue and cultural understanding.

For Pakistan, the SCO Civilisational Dialogue matches its stated aim of encouraging dialogue among civilisations and strengthening people-to-people contacts within the SCO framework, guided by mutual respect. Dr Musadik Masood Malik, the climate change minister, has been named as the country's representative.

The nomination also comes at a time when Pakistan chairs the SCO Council of Heads of State for 2026-27, as Ishaq Dar pointed out. Islamabad will host the next CHS meeting in August 2027.

Key facts about the SCO Civilisational Dialogue

Here is what is known about the SCO Civilisational Dialogue from the Foreign Office and from reports. It is scheduled for November 20 to 22 in New Delhi. Pakistan's representative is Dr Musadik Masood Malik, the climate change minister. According to reports, 10 SCO members have been invited, and India proposed the event.

The Foreign Office said Pakistan's approach rests on mutual respect, dialogue among civilisations and stronger people-to-people contacts. Ishaq Dar, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister, confirmed Pakistan's participation on X and recalled that Pakistan chairs the CHS for 2026-27.

Pakistan's growing SCO role

Pakistan's participation in the SCO Civilisational Dialogue follows a long record of engagement with the organisation. Islamabad has long engaged with the SCO, both by hosting meetings and by chairing its bodies. It holds the permanent chairmanship of an SCO working group on poverty alleviation, which focuses on improving living standards across the region.

In October 2024, Pakistan hosted the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting. India's External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar attended it, in what was the first such visit by an Indian foreign minister in nearly a decade. It took place months before the May 2025 military conflict between the two neighbours heightened tensions.

Last month, India sent its SCO National Coordinator, Alok Dimri, to Islamabad for a preparatory meeting ahead of the next CHS meeting. Pakistan is due to host that meeting in August 2027. The Indian official said it was his first time on Pakistani soil and that SCO programmes would continue through the year, ending with the Islamabad summit.

Pakistan has also taken on other leadership roles. It assumed the chairmanship of the SCO Interbank Consortium for 2026-27 earlier this month, with HBL Chairman Allana taking charge, according to the Ministry of Finance. It has chaired the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure since September 2025.

Background: Pakistan and the SCO Civilisational Dialogue

Pakistan's nomination for the SCO Civilisational Dialogue comes while it holds several SCO responsibilities. It chairs the Council of Heads of State for 2026-27, chairs the Interbank Consortium for the same period and has chaired the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure since September 2025.

The Foreign Office framed Pakistan's participation in terms of dialogue among civilisations and people-to-people contacts. India's SCO National Coordinator, Alok Dimri, visited Islamabad last month for a preparatory meeting and said SCO programmes would continue through the year, ending with the Islamabad summit.

Climate diplomacy at COP31

Separately from the SCO Civilisational Dialogue, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the COP31 Leaders' Summit in Antalya, Türkiye, on November 12. He called for more grant-based climate financing, including through public-private partnerships, and greater funding for resilience and adaptation.

He said countries exposed to climate disasters needed timely help that did not add to their financial burden. Recalling the 2022 floods, he thanked the Turkish leadership and people for their support during the 2010 and 2022 floods.

The prime minister said renewable and other clean sources made up nearly 55 per cent of Pakistan's energy mix. He added that the country had set a target of cutting projected emissions by around 50 per cent by 2035. Domestic measures alone, he argued, could not replace a fair international response, since the countries that contribute least to climate change suffer some of its worst effects.

Talks with Iran's president

On November 11, on the sidelines of the summit, Shehbaz Sharif met Iranian President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian. Information Minister Ataullah Tarar, Senator Sherry Rehman and senior officials from both countries attended.

The two leaders reaffirmed their close ties and discussed regional developments. The prime minister called for dialogue, restraint and de-escalation, and stressed the need to build on the understandings reached under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in June 2026. President Pezeshkian appreciated Pakistan's diplomatic efforts and said Iran wanted deeper cooperation across sectors.