Expect everybody to abide by national policy: MEA on Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s Pak invite

New Delhi, Nov 13 (IANS) Stating that India has a national policy when it comes to relations with foreign countries, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday that political clearances for dignitaries visiting abroad are assessed by the ministry in line with it. 

Responding to a question on Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann being invited to visit Lahore for the international World Punjabi Conference, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “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,” he added during the bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi. 

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.”

In August, the MEA had denied political clearance for Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s visit to the United States. Reddy was scheduled to leave for the US from the United Kingdom on August 23 for a week-long visit.

The MEA said that the Telangana Chief Minister’s US trip was denied political clearance as the programmes proposed were not appropriate to the office held and the purpose of the visit.

“Let me say that the visits of Chief Ministers, as indeed those of other dignitaries, are assessed by the Ministry of External Affairs in order to accord political clearance. The programme proposed in such cases should be appropriate to the office held and the purpose of the visit. In this particular case, that was not so with respect to the United States. Therefore, the clearance was denied and not given,” the MEA spokesperson had stated then.

According to a statement by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) of Telangana, the state had sought the Centre’s permission for the Chief Minister’s visit to the UK and the US in accordance with established procedures and protocols. Initially, permission was granted only for the UK visit. After the official delegation had already arrived in the UK, the Centre informed the state government that permission for the US visit would not be granted.

--IANS

ksk/as