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Islamabad signals visa consideration, but Indian government clearance remains essential for travel.
Pakistan has indicated its willingness to consider a visa application from Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for his proposed visit to Lahore to attend the World Punjabi Conference on November 27.
Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said on Friday that Islamabad would examine Mann’s visa request if the AAP leader intended to travel to Pakistan. He, however, pointed out that securing clearance from the Indian government would be an independent requirement for the proposed visit.
Mann had disclosed on October 23 that he had been invited to the conference in Lahore. While expressing uncertainty over the possibility of travelling across the border, he had highlighted the shared cultural and linguistic heritage of the two Punjabs, adding that several poets from India were also expected to attend.
The Chief Minister had also proposed a visit by all Punjab MLAs to Kartarpur Sahib, should the Kartarpur Corridor resume operations.
The corridor provides visa-free passage for Indian pilgrims from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, one of the most revered Sikh shrines associated with Guru Nanak Dev.
Pilgrim movement through the corridor from the Indian side has remained suspended since May 7, 2025, following India’s military strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
Khan said Pakistan was prepared to facilitate religious travel once the restrictions were withdrawn. He reiterated Islamabad’s commitment to welcoming pilgrims belonging to different faiths and facilitating access to religious sites.
According to the spokesperson, Pakistan issued more than 9,000 visas to Indian religious pilgrims in 2025. This included Sikh and Hindu devotees. Additionally, over 4,000 visas were issued to Sikh pilgrims during the first six months of 2026.
He also announced that Pakistan was expecting a large influx of Sikh devotees at Nankana Sahib later this month for celebrations marking the 557th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
Highlighting the significance of the Kartarpur Corridor, Khan said the facility was designed to accommodate more than 5,000 pilgrims daily, allowing them to visit the shrine and return on the same day.
He also cited the 1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines between India and Pakistan as the established mechanism for facilitating religious visits between the neighbouring countries.