Bhagwant Mann wants to attend World Punjabi Conference in Lahore on 27 to 29 November, asks Delhi to reopen Kartarpur

Indian Punjab's Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has said he wants to attend the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore, the fourth International Punjabi Conference, due on 27 to 29 November 2026, and has called for the Kartarpur corridor to be reopened, Dawn reported on 25 October, citing the BBC.

Mann was speaking in the Indian Punjab assembly on Friday. He said the organisers had invited him, and that the invitation came after he spoke to the Lahore Punjabi poet Baba Najmi.

What Mann said

• "I also want to go, because our roots are one, our problems are also similar."
• On whether India's BJP-led central government would allow the trip: "They do not even let me go to France or Japan. How will they let me go to Pakistan?"

Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan replied: "If you get permission, take us along as well," and other members were heard backing him. Mann said many poets from Indian Punjab would travel to the conference.

A chief minister in India needs clearance from the central government for official foreign travel. Dawn reported no response from New Delhi.

Kartarpur

Mann also asked for the Kartarpur corridor to be reopened. The visa-free route lets Sikh pilgrims from India visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Narowal district, where Guru Nanak spent his last years. Ties between the two countries have been strained since the four-day conflict last year, with trade and diplomatic contact cut to a minimum.

Why it matters in Lahore

The conference brings writers, poets and academics from both Punjabs to Lahore, and a visit by a serving Indian chief minister would be the most senior from across the border in years. The BBC said social media users on both sides welcomed Mann's wish.

Whether he comes depends on New Delhi. We will update this story if he gets permission or the organisers announce the guest list.

Travelling to Pakistan for the conference? Visitors from India need a visa; Pakistanis travelling abroad can check costs with our passport fee calculator.