Pakistan says it will consider issuing visa to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann if he wishes to visit

Pakistan has said 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. Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan made the remarks during his weekly media briefing on Friday, responding to a question about the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader's possible visit.

"The Pakistani government would consider issuing him a visa if he wished to visit the country," Khan said, adding that permission from the Indian government was a separate matter.

Mann takes swipe at Centre over travel clearance

On October 23, Mann told the Punjab Assembly that he had been invited to attend the conference in Lahore. However, he expressed doubts about receiving political clearance from the Centre for the visit.

"They don't let me go to Japan and France; how will they allow me to go to Pakistan?" he said, criticising the Centre over its alleged refusal to clear his previous foreign visits.

Highlighting the cultural ties between the two sides of Punjab, Mann added, "Our culture is the same. Many poets from here will go there."

Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan suggested that Mann should take other legislators along if he received permission. The chief minister had also expressed a desire to take all Punjab MLAs to Kartarpur Sahib if the Kartarpur Corridor reopened.

The Kartarpur Corridor connects Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the shrine associated with Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism. It allows Indian pilgrims to visit without a Pakistani visa under a special arrangement.

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The corridor has remained closed to pilgrims from the Indian side since May 7, 2025, when India launched Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terror attack. Pakistan has said it is ready to facilitate pilgrim visits once restrictions are lifted.

Khan said Pakistan welcomed pilgrims of all faiths and remained committed to facilitating religious visits. He added that the country issued more than 9,000 visas to Indian religious pilgrims in 2025 and over 4,000 additional visas to Sikh pilgrims in the first half of this year.

"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.