INDIAN EXPRESS DATED 28th OCT 2026.

Summary of Important News Items Editorials-505

INDIAN EXPRESS DATED 28th OCT 2026.

(for reading Indian Express News items from 1 to 504 please visit –

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1. India Invites Pakistan to SCO Meeting: Multilateral Diplomacy and Strategic Autonomy

India invited Pakistan's National Heritage and Culture Minister, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Civilisational Dialogue Forum scheduled in New Delhi on November 20–21, 2026. The invitation was significant because bilateral relations remained strained following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor in May 2025. The last visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to India was Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's participation in the SCO meeting in Goa in 2023. India's position reflects a distinction between bilateral disagreements and obligations arising from multilateral membership. As the host, India is expected to invite representatives of all SCO member countries. The forum aims to strengthen cultural cooperation, historical understanding and people-to-people connections across Eurasia. The development does not automatically indicate normalisation of India–Pakistan relations. Its geopolitical importance lies in preserving institutional engagement despite political differences. Gist: Multilateral diplomacy allows countries to cooperate selectively without abandoning their national-security positions.

2. Karnataka Electoral Roll Declines by Nearly 18%: SIR and Voting Rights