Indian Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has said he wants to travel to Lahore for the World Punjabi Conference. He made the remark after receiving an invitation from the event’s organisers, but he questioned whether the Indian government would let him go to Pakistan.
Speaking in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Friday, Mann said the organisers had invited him and offered to host him during the visit. He told the assembly that the conference was being held in Lahore and that the invitation had come directly to him.
Mann doubts New Delhi will allow Pakistan trip
Mann recalled earlier limits placed on his foreign travel. He joked that if he had not been allowed to visit countries such as France and Japan, he could not see how he would be permitted to go to Pakistan.
His remarks were partly a light-hearted aside, but he also pointed to the close ties between the two Punjabs. He said the people shared the same culture, that many of their poets would attend, and that he wanted to go because of common bonds, a shared land and many similar problems. He added that more interaction between the two sides was needed.
Conference schedule and participating organisers
According to Indian media reports, the World Punjabi Conference is set to take place in Lahore from November 27 to 29. The event is being organised by the Punjabi Prachar Organisation in collaboration with Punjabi Lehar and the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture. Participants from several countries are expected to attend.
During Mann’s speech, Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and other lawmakers could be heard asking the chief minister to take them along if he obtained permission to travel. Mann responded that he wanted the whole assembly, including members of the government and the opposition, to visit Kartarpur Sahib together.
Kartarpur Corridor remains closed to Indian pilgrims
Mann said that if the Kartarpur Corridor reopened, members could travel under the Speaker’s leadership to pay respects at the shrine linked to Guru Nanak, who spent the final years of his life there. However, the corridor remains suspended for pilgrims travelling from India. India’s Ministry of Home Affairs has cited the prevailing security situation as the reason.
Mann’s attendance at the Lahore conference would depend on clearance from the Indian government. Indian media reports also said the chief minister had expressed interest in the event and highlighted the shared cultural heritage of the two Punjabs.
