Pakistan Open to Visa for Bhagwant Mann's Lahore Visitਪਾਕਿਸਤਾਨ ਨੇ ਮਾਨ ਨੂੰ ਲਾਹੌਰ ਜਾਣ ਲਈ ਵੀਜ਼ਾ ਦੇਣ ਦੀ ਗੱਲ ਆਖੀ

Pakistan has said it would consider issuing a visa to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann if he wishes to travel to Lahore for the World Punjabi Conference later this month, in the first public response from Islamabad to an invitation Mann disclosed two weeks ago.

What Pakistan said

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan made the remarks at his weekly media briefing in Islamabad on Friday. He said there was no bar on granting a visa to Mann and that Pakistan would consider issuing one if the chief minister wished to visit the country. Khan was answering a question about Mann's possible travel to Pakistan for the conference, which is scheduled to be held in Lahore on 27 November.

Mann revealed on 23 October that he had been invited to attend the conference, and questioned whether he would be allowed to travel to Pakistan. The invitation came from Pakistani Punjabi poet Baba Bashir Husain Najmi, and Punjab's provincial minister for minority affairs, Ramesh Singh Arora, later formally invited Mann and the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to visit Pakistan, including Kartarpur Sahib and other Sikh holy sites.

The clearance question

Khan made it clear that a visa from Pakistan is only one half of the question. Whether Mann can actually travel depends on New Delhi, and the decision rests with the Indian government. Mann himself had flagged the same hurdle when he disclosed the invitation, saying the Centre had not permitted him to travel to countries such as France or Japan, so permission for Pakistan appeared unlikely.

No official response from New Delhi had been reported as of Friday. A chief minister travelling abroad needs political clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs, and a visit to Pakistan would also involve security agencies. Mann has not said whether he will formally seek that clearance.

Why the visit matters

The World Punjabi Conference brings together Punjabi writers, scholars and artists from both sides of the border, and a visit by Punjab's chief minister would be a rare high-level political contact between the two Punjabs. The Kartarpur Corridor, which connects Dera Baba Nanak in India's Punjab with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, has remained closed to pilgrim movement from the Indian side since 7 May 2025, when India launched strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under Operation Sindoor after the Pahalgam terror attack.

What happens next

The conference is scheduled for 27 to 29 November in Lahore. If Mann decides to go, he will first need to ask the Centre for permission, and Islamabad has said the visa itself will not be a problem. Until New Delhi responds, the visit remains a possibility rather than a plan.

Has Pakistan issued Bhagwant Mann a visa?

No. Pakistan has only said it would consider issuing a visa if Mann wishes to visit. No visa has been issued and no travel arrangements have been finalised.

Does Mann still need permission from New Delhi?

Yes. Even with a Pakistani visa, the chief minister would need political clearance from the Indian government before he could travel to Pakistan.

When is the World Punjabi Conference?

The conference is scheduled to be held in Lahore from 27 to 29 November.