The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) names Lahore as its Tourism and Cultural Capital for 2026–27. The decision is announced at the 26th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State in Bishkek, with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attending.
The title is rotated annually among SCO member states and has been used since 2022 to spotlight cultural heritage and support people-to-people contacts through tourism. Pakistan assumes the SCO presidency for this cycle, and Sharif sets the theme as “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity.”
Outlet coverage aligns on the timing and process but provides different context. Dawn adds details about earlier cities to hold the title, the April decision taken during a meeting of SCO tourism administrations in Bishkek, and the purpose of the designation. The Hindu focuses on the April decision and the designation itself, offering less background on the broader rotation and Pakistan’s chairmanship theme.
