Pakistan sends its climate minister to Delhi forum

ISLAMABAD: Musadik Masood Malik will represent Pakistan at a gathering in India that brings countries together to discuss their cultural heritage.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office announced Malik’s nomination on Saturday. He will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Civilisational Dialogue Forum, which runs from Nov. 20 to 22 in New Delhi. Malik is Pakistan’s federal minister for climate change and environmental coordination.

India invited all members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, including Pakistan, to the first edition of the forum. Pakistan’s Foreign Office said earlier this month that it had received the invitation and that the country’s leaders would decide whether to take part. Saturday’s announcement named Malik as Pakistan’s representative.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced in October that New Delhi would host the event. He was speaking at a meeting of the organisation’s heads of government in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The forum follows a proposal from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for member countries to hold talks about their cultures and histories.

India plans to open the forum on Nov. 20, with Modi expected to attend the opening ceremony. China, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Iran were among the countries that had confirmed attendance. The programme includes sessions on art and architecture, as well as languages, literature and manuscripts. Delegates are also expected to visit Purana Qila, a historic fort in New Delhi where excavations have uncovered traces of the city’s past.

Pakistan took over the rotating chair of the organisation’s Council of Heads of State from Kyrgyzstan in September. Malik’s trip would be the first visit to India by a Pakistani minister in more than three years.