Invitation from the Assembly floor
The Punjab Assembly has invited Indian Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to visit Lahore in November for the World Punjabi Conference. Minority Affairs Minister Ramesh Singh Arora extended the invitation while speaking in the House on Tuesday, framing it as a step toward warmer cultural ties between the two Punjabs.
Organisers of the conference had already asked Mann to take part. The fresh call came from the Assembly floor and was issued on behalf of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. It follows Mann’s recent remarks that he wished to attend but was unsure whether India’s federal government would let him travel. He had said he was not even allowed to visit France or Germany, and questioned how a trip to Pakistan would be approved.
“Pakistan is waiting for you. We will welcome you with open hearts and smiling faces,” Arora said, adding that Lahore was open to him and urging him to join the gathering.
Kartarpur access and shared heritage
Arora also invited the Speaker of the Indian Punjab Assembly to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur. He said he hoped elected representatives from both sides, including opposition members, would join the conference and mark their shared language and culture.
He urged the Indian government to let Sikh pilgrims use the Kartarpur Corridor without restrictions. Under an agreement between Pakistan and India, he said, about 5,000 Sikh pilgrims had been allowed to visit Kartarpur, but India had cut that figure to 500. He asked New Delhi to ease those limits, arguing that Sikhs worldwide wish to visit Pakistan and see it as a first home.
Kashmir resolution and House business
The minister also expressed solidarity with people in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, saying Pakistan stood with them on the right to self-determination. The Punjab Assembly then unanimously passed a resolution marking 27 October as Kashmir Black Day. Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman moved the text, which described that date as a black day for Kashmiris, condemned India’s occupation, and called for a settlement in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions. It also voiced concern over reports of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
Separately, the House set a general discussion for Tuesday on water reservoirs, dams, and rainwater collection and storage. The sitting, due at 11am, began two hours and four minutes late under Panel of Chairpersons member Samiullah Khan. After opposition member Hassan Malik pointed out a lack of quorum, bells were rung for five minutes, attendance still fell short, and the House adjourned until 11:30am Tuesday — the second consecutive day the government failed to keep quorum.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Earlier: Conference organisers invited Bhagwant Singh Mann to the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore.
- Recently: Mann said he wanted to attend but doubted India’s federal government would allow the trip.
- 27 October: The Punjab Assembly marked Kashmir Black Day in a unanimous resolution.
- Tuesday (Assembly session): Ramesh Singh Arora invited Mann from the floor on behalf of Maryam Nawaz Sharif; the sitting started late and was adjourned for lack of quorum.
- November: The World Punjabi Conference is due to be held in Lahore.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Punjab Assembly ne Indian Punjab ke wazir-e-ala Bhagwant Mann ko November mein Lahore aane ki dawat di hai. Yeh dawat World Punjabi Conference ke liye hai, aur pehle organisers bhi unhen bula chuke the. Wazir Ramesh Singh Arora ne kaha ke Pakistan unka intezar kar raha hai, aur Kartarpur Corridor par Sikh yatrium ki aamad ko asaan kiya jaye. Aam logon ke liye yeh cultural aur mazhabi rawabit ki baat hai — agar dawat aur Corridor dono pe aage barhe, to milne-julne ke mauqe barh sakte hain.
