New Delhi: Pakistan has indicated that it would consider granting a visa to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann if he wishes to visit the neighbouring country, while clarifying that permission from the Indian government would be a separate matter.
Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan made the remarks during his weekly media briefing on Friday while responding to a question about a possible visit by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader.
The response came after Mann revealed on October 23 that he had received an invitation to attend the World Punjabi Conference scheduled to take place in Lahore on November 27. However, he expressed uncertainty over whether he would be permitted to travel to Pakistan.
Highlighting the cultural connections between Punjab on both sides of the border, Mann noted that Punjabi poets from India were also expected to participate in the event.
The Punjab Chief Minister had additionally expressed his desire for all members of the Punjab Legislative Assembly to visit Kartarpur Sahib if the Kartarpur Corridor reopened.
The corridor connects Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, a significant religious site associated with Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism. It allows Indian pilgrims to visit the shrine without obtaining a Pakistani visa under the established arrangements.
However, the corridor has remained closed to pilgrim movement from the Indian side since May 7, 2025, following India’s military strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after the Pahalgam terror attack.
During the briefing, the Pakistani spokesperson reiterated that his country remained committed to facilitating religious visits and welcomed pilgrims from different faiths.
He stated that Pakistan issued more than 9,000 visas to Indian religious pilgrims in 2025, including Sikh and Hindu devotees, along with over 4,000 additional visas for Sikh pilgrims during the first half of 2026.
Pakistan also expressed its readiness to welcome Sikh devotees at Nankana Sahib for celebrations marking the 557th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
The spokesperson highlighted the 1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines between India and Pakistan, which provides a framework for religious pilgrimages between the two countries.
