Chandigarh (Pakistan News): Indian Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has been invited to attend the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore, but he has expressed concern that the Indian government may not allow him to travel to Pakistan.
According to Indian media, Bhagwant Mann told the East Punjab Assembly during a session that the conference organizers, particularly Punjabi poet Baba Bashir Hussain Nazmi, had invited him to Lahore and offered to host him.
Bhagwant Mann remarked sarcastically that if the Indian government did not allow him to visit countries such as France and Japan, how would it permit him to travel to Pakistan?
He said the two Punjabs shared a common culture and that poets from the other side would also visit Lahore, adding that he himself wished to attend the conference.
On the occasion, Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said that if the chief minister received permission to visit Pakistan, he would be willing to accompany him along with members of the assembly.
In response, Bhagwant Mann said he wanted the speaker, members of the ruling party, and opposition lawmakers, along with the entire assembly, to visit Kartarpur Sahib and pay their respects. However, he added that the Kartarpur Corridor would need to be opened for this to happen.
World Punjabi Conference to Be Held in Lahore From November 27 to 29
It is worth mentioning that the World Punjabi Conference will be held in Lahore from November 27 to 29. According to Indian media, the event is being organized jointly by the Punjabi Parchar Organization, Punjabi Lehar, and the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture.
Guests from nine countries are expected to attend the conference, while Bhagwant Mann's participation will depend on permission from the Indian government.