CHANDIGARH: Indian Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has expressed his desire to attend an international Punjabi conference in Lahore next month, while questioning whether India’s central government would permit him to travel to Pakistan.
Mann said conference organisers had invited him and offered to host his visit.
The statements prompted Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and other legislators to express interest in accompanying him, bringing cultural exchanges between the two Punjabs into focus.
Mann told lawmakers he wanted to participate in the World Punjabi Conference, scheduled for November 27–29. However, he expressed uncertainty about securing approval from New Delhi.
He referred to difficulties obtaining permission for previous overseas visits, including proposed trips to France and Japan.
The distinction remains significant: an invitation and willingness to attend do not establish that the proposed journey has received official approval.
Mann mentioned the cultural connections between eastern and western Punjab, saying communities on both sides shared roots, traditions and everyday concerns.
He also noted that poets would participate in the gathering, presenting the conference as an opportunity for interaction through language and literature.
Speaker Sandhwan and several lawmakers asked Mann to take them along if he received permission to travel.
The chief minister proposed that the entire assembly, including government and opposition members, visit Kartarpur under the speaker’s leadership if the corridor reopened.
The proposal concerned a collective religious visit, alongside the separate discussion about attending the Lahore conference. Kartarpur holds special significance for Sikhs because Guru Nanak spent his final years there.
Mann’s appeal linked the assembly’s enthusiasm for Lahore with a broader desire to restore opportunities for pilgrimage and contact across the border.
Lahore Conference Scheduled for November
The organisers’ website identifies the gathering as the fourth International Punjabi Conference, taking place at the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture in Lahore.
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Punjabi Parchar and Punjabi Lehar are organising the event, which will explore language, arts, culture and history.
For now, Mann’s attendance remains uncertain, while preparations for the November gathering continue.
