LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Minorities Affairs Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora has formally invited Indian Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to visit Lahore, extending the invitation from the floor of the Punjab Assembly during a speech delivered in Punjabi, today.
“Pakistan is waiting for you. We will welcome you with open hearts and smiling faces,” Ramesh Singh Arora said, inviting Mann to attend the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore on behalf of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
He also invited the Speaker of the Indian Punjab Assembly to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, expressing the hope that elected representatives from both sides, including members of the opposition, would participate in the conference and celebrate their shared linguistic and cultural heritage.
“Lahore is yours. Come and be part of this gathering,” the minister said, welcoming the prospect of greater cultural engagement between the two Punjabs.
Referring to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s first address to the provincial assembly, Arora recalled that she had described religious minorities as the crown of her head. He said the Chief Minister’s approach reflected a commitment to the dignity, protection and religious freedom of minority communities. “Her leadership has demonstrated the importance of recognising minorities as an integral part of Punjab’s social fabric,” he said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026