The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday invoked India’s national policy on engagement with Pakistan while responding to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann getting an invitation to attend the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore as chief guest, making it clear that political clearances for foreign visits would be assessed in accordance with the country’s overall policy.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India expected everyone to abide by its national policy on relations with foreign countries and indicated that Mann’s proposed visit would be considered within that framework.
“When it comes to relations with foreign countries, we have a national policy and expect everybody to abide by it. As far as political clearances for dignitaries visiting abroad are concerned, an assessment is made by this Ministry, in line with its overall policy and processed accordingly,” Jaiswal said.
Significantly, the spokesperson also invoked the April 2024 Pahalgam terror attack to underline India’s position on Pakistan.
“As far as our position on Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack is concerned, it should be amply clear to all as to where we stand,” he said.
Mann has been invited to Lahore to serve as chief guest at the International World Punjabi Conference scheduled to be held from November 27 to 29.
Pakistan’s Minister for Minority Affairs and Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Ramesh Singh Arora has also invited the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker and legislators to visit Kartarpur Sahib and other Sikh religious sites in Pakistan.
The proposed visit has brought the question of political clearance into focus, with the MEA’s remarks signalling that any decision would be governed by India’s policy towards Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack.
Earlier in August as well, the Ministry of External Affairs had denied political clearance to Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s proposed visit to the US. The MEA, at that time, did not officially spell out the reasons for withholding clearance, saying only that Reddy’s proposed programme in the US was not considered appropriate for his office.
