Pakistan Considers Visa for Bhagwant Mann to Attend Punjabi Conference

Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan stated during a media briefing that the country is willing to consider issuing a visa to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann if he chooses to visit. The statement followed Mann's announcement that he had been invited to the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore, scheduled for November 27.

Khan clarified that whether the Indian government would permit Mann to cross the border is a separate issue. Mann had previously mentioned his uncertainty about being allowed to visit Pakistan, despite the cultural and religious ties between the two regions.

Mann also expressed a desire to take members of the Punjab legislative assembly to Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan if the Kartarpur Corridor reopened. The corridor, which connects India's Punjab with Pakistan's Kartarpur, has remained closed to pilgrim movement since May 7, 2025, following security operations in the region.

Pakistan's Foreign Office reiterated its willingness to facilitate religious pilgrimages once the corridor reopens. The spokesperson noted that the country has issued over 9,000 visas to Indian religious pilgrims in 2025, including Sikh and Hindu devotees.

Khan highlighted the Kartarpur Corridor as a key initiative for Sikh pilgrims, enabling over 5,000 devotees to visit the shrine daily. He also referenced the 1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, which outlines the framework for religious pilgrimages between the two nations.

In addition to focusing on Sikh pilgrimages, Pakistan's Foreign Office mentioned efforts to preserve Buddhist heritage sites, including those in Taxila and Takht-i-Bahi, with a special task force established for their protection.