BY Our Correspondent
LAHORE: Indian Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has expressed his desire to visit Pakistan to attend the 4th International Punjabi Conference in Lahore, raising questions about whether India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government would grant him permission.
Speaking during a session of the Indian Punjab Assembly, Mann said he had received an invitation from Pakistani Punjabi poet Baba Najmi to participate in the conference, scheduled for November 27 to 29.
Taking a swipe at the BJP-led government, Mann questioned the restrictions he said had prevented him from travelling abroad, expressing doubts about whether he would be allowed to visit Pakistan.
He said people on both sides of the border shared common cultural roots, traditions and similar challenges, emphasising the importance of cross-border engagement to strengthen historical and cultural ties.
Indian Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan supported Mann’s proposal and suggested that he take fellow lawmakers along if permission for the visit was granted.
Mann also called for the reopening of the Kartarpur Corridor, a significant religious route connecting Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan.
The corridor was suspended indefinitely by Indian authorities on May 7, 2025, following the Pahalgam attack and escalating tensions between the two countries.
The proposed visit has brought renewed attention to the potential role of cultural exchanges in fostering people-to-people contact between Pakistan and India. Punjabi language, literature, music and shared traditions remain important links between communities separated by the border.
However, Mann’s participation in the Lahore conference remains subject to the relevant travel permissions and official arrangements.
