LAHORE: Indian Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has expressed his desire to attend the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore on November 27, but has questioned whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government will allow him to travel to Pakistan.
Indian Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab Bhagwant Singh Mann has confirmed receiving an invitation to attend the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore on November 27, saying that he wants to visit the city but questioned whether the Indian government will grant him permission to travel to Pakistan.
Mann confirmed the invitation while speaking during a session of the Punjab Assembly on Friday. He said that the conference organisers had invited him to Lahore and offered to host him.
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According to Indian media reports, Mann confirmed receiving an invitation from the conference organisers while addressing the Punjab Assembly in India. He said the organisers had invited him to Lahore and offered to host him during the visit.
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However, the Indian Punjab chief minister expressed uncertainty over securing the necessary travel clearance, referring to previous instances when, he said, the Indian government had not permitted him to visit countries including France and Japan.
Mann highlights shared Punjabi culture across border
Despite uncertainty over permission, Mann said he wanted to attend the gathering, highlighting the shared language, culture and literary traditions of Punjab on both sides of the border.
“Our culture is the same. Our poets and others will go to Lahore. I also want to go,” he said, according to Indian media reports.
The World Punjabi Conference is expected to bring together poets and other participants to celebrate Punjabi language, literature and cultural heritage.
During the assembly exchange, the speaker suggested that Mann take other lawmakers along if he received permission to visit Pakistan.
Mann responded by expressing a desire for the legislators to visit Kartarpur, a major Sikh pilgrimage destination in Pakistan associated with the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak.
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Modi government’s approval remains uncertain
Mann’s remarks confirmed that he had received the invitation and was interested in attending the Lahore conference. However, no approval for his visit was announced, and his participation remains uncertain.
His comments have brought attention to the potential for cultural engagement between the two Punjabs, whose shared linguistic and historical heritage continues to connect communities across the international border despite political tensions.
Whether Mann will join the November 27 gathering will depend on the necessary travel permissions from the Indian government.
