Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann could receive a Pakistani visa to attend the upcoming World Punjabi Conference in Lahore, with Islamabad indicating its willingness to consider his application if the Indian government permits him to travel.
Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan addressed the possibility of Mann’s visit during his weekly media briefing on Friday. He said Pakistan would examine a visa request from the Aam Aadmi Party leader, while clarifying that approval from New Delhi for the proposed journey would be a separate requirement.
Mann had revealed on October 23 that he had received an invitation to the conference scheduled for November 27. At the time, he expressed uncertainty over whether he would be permitted to visit Pakistan, pointing to the shared cultural and linguistic heritage of the two regions.
“Our culture is the same. Many poets from here will go there,” the Chief Minister had said.
He had also proposed that all members of the Punjab Legislative Assembly visit Kartarpur Sahib together if the corridor connecting India and Pakistan is reopened.
The Kartarpur Corridor links Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, a significant shrine associated with Guru Nanak Dev. The special arrangement allows Indian pilgrims to visit the site without obtaining a regular Pakistani visa. However, movement through the corridor from the Indian side has remained suspended since May 7, 2025, following India’s strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after the Pahalgam attack.
Khan said Pakistan was prepared to facilitate pilgrimages once restrictions were removed. He also highlighted the country’s religious tourism arrangements, stating that more than 9,000 visas were issued to Indian religious visitors in 2025, followed by over 4,000 additional visas for Sikh pilgrims during the first six months of this year.
Pakistan is also preparing to welcome Sikh devotees at Nankana Sahib later this month for celebrations marking the 557th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. The spokesperson reiterated that the country remained committed to facilitating visits by people of different faiths.
He further pointed to the Kartarpur Corridor as a special initiative for the Sikh community, noting that it was designed to accommodate more than 5,000 pilgrims daily. The 1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines between India and Pakistan was also cited as an established framework for religious travel between the neighbouring countries.
While Pakistan has indicated that it is open to Mann’s proposed visit, the Chief Minister’s participation in the Lahore conference will ultimately depend on the necessary clearance from the Indian government.
