Pakistan ready to consider visa for Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann
The Pakistani government will consider issuing a visa to the Punjab Chief Minister if he wishes to attend a conference in Lahore.
Pakistan has indicated it would consider issuing a visa to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann if he wishes to visit the country for the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore on November 27, according to reports by The Times of India and The Federal.
Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan made the remarks during a weekly media briefing in Islamabad. Khan stated that while the Pakistani government would consider the visa, whether the Indian government permits Mann to travel is an entirely separate matter.
Mann, a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), said on October 23 that he had received an invitation to the conference. He previously expressed doubt regarding whether he would be permitted to travel, noting that the culture of both sides is the same.
The Chief Minister has also expressed a desire for all members of the Punjab legislative assembly to visit Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan if the corridor reopens. The corridor connects Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab with the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur.
The corridor has been closed to pilgrims from India since May 7, 2025, following missile strikes launched by India on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. These strikes followed the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
Khan added that Pakistan is committed to facilitating visits to religious sites and is prepared to welcome pilgrims of all faiths under the 1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines.
