Pakistan says minister to make rare India visit for regional talks

Detailed summary

Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik will represent Pakistan at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Civilisational Dialogue in New Delhi ...

Pakistan will send a minister to India for a regional conference next week, Islamabad said Saturday, the first such visit since the two fought a four-day conflict last year.

Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik will represent Pakistan at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Civilisational Dialogue in New Delhi from November 20 to 22, the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.

It will be the first trip to India by a Pakistani federal minister since former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended an SCO meeting in Goa in May 2023.

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan share a deep distrust and have fought multiple wars since gaining independence in 1947, primarily over the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir, which both countries claim.

In May 2025, the countries fought a deadly four-day conflict after armed gunmen killed over two dozen tourists, mostly Hindus, in Kashmir.

New Delhi has accused Islamabad of backing the attack, a charge vehemently denied by Pakistan.

The attack triggered a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures, spiralling into intense exchanges of missile, drone and artillery fire and leaving more than 70 people dead.

"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," the foreign ministry said.

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