NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday gave its first public response to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's invitation to visit Lahore for the International World Punjabi Conference, saying India has a national policy on relations with foreign countries and it expects everybody to abide by it.

Source: IANS

Responding to a question on the invitation at the MEA's bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “When it comes to relations with foreign countries, we have a national policy and expect everybody to abide by it.”

Source: IANS

“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 added. A chief minister travelling abroad needs the MEA's political clearance, so any Lahore trip by Mann would be assessed through that process.

Referring to New Delhi's stand on Islamabad, Jaiswal said: “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.” The MEA did not announce a decision on Mann's travel itself — it set out the policy and the clearance process, and left the outcome to that assessment.

How the Lahore question reached the MEA

Mann disclosed on October 23 that he had been invited to the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore, and questioned at the time whether he would be allowed to travel to Pakistan. Read: Mann invited to World Punjabi Conference in Lahore

On November 6, Pakistan's Foreign Office said there was no bar on a visa for Mann if he wished to visit, making clear that whether he could travel would depend on New Delhi's permission. Friday's briefing is the first time the Indian side has addressed the question in public. Read: Pakistan says no bar on visa for Mann, Lahore visit hangs on Delhi

The clearance test, and a recent precedent

Jaiswal's remarks restated the test the MEA applies to such visits: the programme proposed must be appropriate to the office held and to the purpose of the visit. IANS noted that in August the MEA had denied political clearance for Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's visit to the United States on exactly that ground — the programmes proposed were not appropriate to the office held and the purpose of the visit, the spokesperson had stated then.

What happens next: if Mann formally seeks clearance for the Lahore conference, the MEA will assess the request in line with the policy Jaiswal described. No clearance decision on the Punjab Chief Minister's visit had been announced as of Friday's briefing, and Mann has not publicly announced a decision to formally apply.