पंजाब सीएम भगवंत मान
NEW DELHI: Pakistan has indicated its willingness to grant a visa to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann should he wish to visit the neighbouring country for the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore on November 27, following an invitation to the event.
On October 23, Mann had said that he had received an invitation to attend the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore. The corridor has remained closed to pilgrims travelling from the India since May 7, 2025, when India launched pre-dawn missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. Earlier reporting noted: On October 23, Mann had said that he had been invited to attend the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore on November 27.
However, whether the Indian government permits him to travel is an entirely separate matter,” he told reporters in Islamabad. The high court subsequently cleared his visit, observing that the Centre had “not explained” the political considerations it cited while refusing permission for his trip to the French capital. Earlier reporting noted: The Pakistani government would “consider issuing him a visa if he wished to visit the country”, Khan said, clarifying that whether the Indian government permits Mann to travel to Pakistan was an entirely separate matter.
“The government would consider issuing Mann a visa if he wishes to visit Pakistan. However, the Punjab chief minister also raised doubts over whether he would be permitted to travel to Pakistan. “Our culture is the same. Many poets from here will go there,” he remarked. Mann had also voiced his wish for all members of the Punjab legislative assembly to visit Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan if it reopened. The corridor, which links Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab with the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, was established to facilitate Sikh pilgrims visiting the shrine associated with Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism. It enables Indian pilgrims to visit the gurdwara without a Pakistani visa, subject to applicable arrangements. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.
Last month, the Centre denied political clearance to Mann for his visit to Paris, prompting the Punjab government to challenge the decision before the Punjab and Haryana high court. Earlier reporting noted: Pakistan on Friday said it would consider issuing a visa to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann if the Indian politician wished to visit the country.
Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan made the remarks during his weekly media briefing while responding to a question about Mann’s possible visit, PTI reported.