SCO Forum: China Confirms Presence, No Word from Pak Pg9

Key Highlights:

• India is hosting the inaugural SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi from November 20 to 22.
• Fifteen out of 25 invited countries, including China, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Iran, have confirmed their participation.
• Pakistan has not yet confirmed its attendance, despite India extending an invitation to its national heritage expert, Minister Aurangzeb Alamgir.
• The forum will be held at Purana Qila to showcase India's 5,000-year civilisational history.
• Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Gajendra Shekhawat asserted India's ancient civilisational claims in response to discussions about the Indus Valley Civilisation.

Detailed Insights:

• The SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum is being jointly organized by India's Ministries of Culture and External Affairs, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to inaugurate it.
• The event aims to foster dialogue, cooperation, and cultural engagement among the member states, observer states, and dialogue partners of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
• The invitation to a senior Pakistani minister marks a notable diplomatic outreach amidst strained bilateral relations, particularly following the Pulwama attack in February 2019.
• Pakistan has recently referenced the Indus Valley Civilisation in the context of India's decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance in April 2025.
• Purana Qila, an ancient fort in Delhi, is believed to be the site of the ancient city of Indraprastha and was built by Mughal Emperor Humayun and Sher Shah Suri.
• India and Pakistan both became full members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2017.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO): A Eurasian political, economic, and security organization founded in 2001, with India and Pakistan joining as full members in 2017.
• Indus Waters Treaty: A water-distribution treaty signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank, governing the sharing of the Indus River system.
• Indus Valley Civilisation: One of the world's earliest urban civilizations, flourishing around 2500-1900 BCE in the basins of the Indus River.
• Purana Qila: An ancient fort in Delhi, India, with historical significance dating back to the Mughal era and believed to be the site of the legendary city of Indraprastha.
• Pulwama attack: A terrorist attack on February 14, 2019, in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 40 Indian security personnel and significantly escalated India-Pakistan tensions.