'Will consider visa for Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann if he wishes to visit': Pakistan
Pakistan says it will consider a visa for Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to attend the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore on November 27
Days after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asked of whether he would be allowed to visit Pakistan for the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore on November 27, Islamabad said it would consider issuing the AAP leader a visa if he wants to visit the country.
The remarks were made by Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan during a weekly media briefing on Friday (November 6), reported NDTV.
What Pakistan said
Khan said that the Pakistani authorities would “consider issuing him a visa if he wished to visit the country.” However, he clarified that whether the Indian government would allow Mann to visit Pakistan was a separate matter.
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The Pakistan government further stated that it was prepared to facilitate pilgrims through the Kartarpur Corridor-which was closed to movement of pilgrims from the Indian side since May 7, 2025, when New Delhi launched precision strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the wake of the Pahalgam attack-if the restrictions are lifted.
Khan further stated that Pakistan was committed to facilitating visits to religious sites, adding it was prepared to welcome pilgrims of all faiths.
On 1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines
“Pakistan looks forward to welcoming a large number of Sikh pilgrims at Nankana Sahib later this month to mark the 557th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji,” he said.
According to Khan, the 1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines between Pakistan and India provided a framework to facilitate religious pilgrimage between the two countries.
Mann raised question over permission to visit Lahore
The development comes after the Punjab Chief Minister on October 23 said that he was invited to the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore on November 27. But he wondered whether he would be allowed to travel to Pakistan.
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“Our culture is the same. Many poets from here will go there,” Mann had said. He also wanted all MLAs from the Punjab Assembly to visit Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan if it reopens.
The corridor connects Punjab’s Dera Baba Nanak with the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan allowing Indian pilgrims to visit the gurdwara without a visa, subject to certain arrangements.