Pakistan Willing to Issue Visa to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann for Visit

Pakistan announced on Friday, November 6, 2026, its willingness to consider issuing a visa to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann if the Indian politician wishes to visit the country, according to The Hindu. Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan made these remarks during his weekly media briefing, responding to a query about the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader’s possible visit. India Today also reported Pakistan's willingness to grant the visa. Mr. Khan clarified that whether the Indian government permits Mr. Mann to travel to Pakistan was an entirely separate matter.

On October 23, Mr. Mann had stated that he had been invited to attend the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore on November 27, raising questions about whether he would be allowed to travel. He expressed that "Our culture is the same. Many poets from here will go there." Mr. Mann had also conveyed his desire for all legislators of the Punjab Legislative Assembly to visit Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan if the Kartarpur Corridor reopened.

The Kartarpur Corridor, which connects Dera Baba Nanak in India's Punjab with the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, was established to facilitate Sikh pilgrims traveling to the shrine associated with Guru Nanak Dev without requiring a visa for Pakistan, subject to applicable arrangements. The corridor has remained closed to pilgrim movement from the Indian side since May 7, 2025, when India launched pre-dawn missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack. Pakistan stated it remained ready to facilitate pilgrims once the restrictions were lifted.

The foreign office spokesperson emphasized that Pakistan welcomes pilgrims of all faiths and remains committed to facilitating visits to religious sites. The country issued more than 9,000 visas to Indian religious pilgrims in 2025, including Sikh and Hindu pilgrims, and over 4,000 additional visas to Sikh pilgrims during the first half of this year. Mr. Khan noted that Pakistan looks forward to welcoming a large number of Sikh pilgrims at Nankana Sahib later this month to mark the 557th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji. He highlighted that Pakistan established the Kartarpur Corridor as a special initiative, enabling more than 5,000 pilgrims to visit the shrine daily and return on the same day, with the 1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines between Pakistan and India providing a framework for such pilgrimages. Pakistan is also taking steps to preserve Buddhist heritage sites, including those in Taxila and Takht-i-Bahi, and has established a special task force for this purpose.

What to watch: Developments regarding the Kartarpur Corridor and cross-border cultural exchanges.

Editor's note: The draft captures all essential details from the source, correctly differentiating between the visa willingness and the separate Indian government permit issue.