India's culture minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, has rejected Pakistan's attempts to appropriate the Indus Valley civilisation, saying the country came into existence only around 80 years ago. Speaking in New Delhi on Friday, he was asked about a “neighbouring country” making such a claim and said the first question to ask was whether it existed at that time. He made the remarks while expressing hope that Pakistan would take part in a cultural forum in Delhi from November 20 to 22.
What the minister said
Shekhawat argued that Pakistan became a separate country after Partition in 1947, so its civilisational and cultural evolution is no different from India's. He said that on this point there should be no room for differences. Asked about the claim, he said that if a country was making it, the question to ask was “did they even exist then”.
He added that political, strategic and bilateral differences should not stop the two countries from strengthening cultural relations. In his view, closer cultural ties could help build better dialogue and coordination between the people of both countries.
The Delhi forum and Pakistan's response
India will host the first SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum at the historic Purana Quila complex in Delhi from November 20 to 22. SCO refers to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a regional grouping of countries. Fifteen countries, including China, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, have confirmed they will take part, out of 25 invited. Pakistan had not yet responded to the invitation.
Shekhawat said the venue suits the event, because excavations at Purana Quila have revealed cultural layers and evidence of early settlements dating back to approximately 1200 BCE. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the inaugural ceremony, where India plans to showcase what the minister described as its 5,000-year-old civilisational journey. The idea was first proposed by Modi at the 2025 SCO Summit in Tianjin, and was later welcomed and endorsed before India announced it would host the inaugural forum.
The forum has four broad themes: civilisational and cultural expressions; art and architecture; language, literature, script and manuscript traditions; and monastic trails.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 1947: Pakistan becomes a separate country after Partition, the minister said.
- 2025: The Civilisational Dialogue Forum is proposed at the SCO Summit in Tianjin.
- Friday: Shekhawat speaks in New Delhi about the Indus Valley civilisation claim and hopes Pakistan will attend.
- November 20 to 22: The first SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum is scheduled at Purana Quila in Delhi.
Aasan alfaaz mein
India ke culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat ne kaha hai ke Pakistan ko wajood mein aaye sirf 80 saal hue hain, is liye woh Indus Valley civilisation par dawa nahi kar sakta. Unhon ne umeed zahir ki hai ke Pakistan 20 se 22 November tak Delhi mein hone wale forum mein shirkat kare. Aam Pakistani ke liye is waqt qeemat, bijli ke bill ya safar par koi fori asar nahi hai. Yeh bahas tareekh aur saqafat se mutaliq hai.
