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Pakistan Invited to SCO Summit, Kartarpur Open for PilgrimsWorld
Pakistan has received India’s invitation to the SCO meeting in New Delhi, while confirming the Kartarpur Corridor is ready for Sikh pilgrims.
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Pakistan has received an invitation from India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Heads of Government meeting in New Delhi, the Foreign Office said on Friday, while confirming that the country is ready to welcome Sikh pilgrims through the Kartarpur Corridor.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi shared the details at his weekly press briefing in Islamabad. He said India had invited Pakistan to the SCO meeting, which is scheduled to take place in New Delhi from November 20 to 22, and that Pakistan had received the invitation.
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A decision on whether Pakistan will attend is still pending. According to the spokesperson, the decision will be taken keeping national interest and regional priorities in view, leaving the question open for now while the government weighs its options.
On the Kartarpur Corridor, the spokesperson said Pakistan is ready to welcome Sikh pilgrims. India has suspended movement through the corridor since May 2025, so the crossing has not been in use for pilgrims travelling from the Indian side.
Pakistan issued 9,318 visas to Sikh pilgrims in 2025 and 4,000 in the first six months of 2026, according to the Foreign Office. The corridor can handle more than 5,000 pilgrims a day, and preparations are under way for the 557th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, one of the most important occasions in the Sikh calendar.
The Kartarpur Corridor links the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan with the Indian border, allowing Sikh pilgrims to visit one of their holiest sites without a visa. Its readiness matters to pilgrims hoping to attend the birth anniversary commemorations, and Pakistan’s statement signals that the facilities on its side are prepared to receive them.
The SCO invitation and the Kartarpur message came in the same briefing, touching two separate strands of Pakistan’s regional engagement. The SCO meeting brings together the heads of government of member states to discuss economic and regional cooperation, while the corridor concerns the religious and people-to-people ties between Pakistan and the Sikh community.
Separately, the spokesperson said a vessel from the Marshall Islands was attacked near the coast of Yemen in international waters. All 25 people aboard are safe, and a Pakistani ship is carrying out the rescue, according to the Foreign Office.
Attention will now turn to Pakistan’s decision on the SCO meeting in the days ahead, and to whether movement through the Kartarpur Corridor resumes in time for the Guru Nanak birth anniversary celebrations.
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