3 min readJan 13, 2026 04:56 PM IST
First published on: Jan 13, 2026 at 04:56 PM IST
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has denied political clearance to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and state Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora, who were to lead a delegation to the UK and Israel in February.
Sources in the government told The Indian Express that the clearance has been denied to Mann, who holds a diplomatic passport, as well as to others, including the CM of a state. Political clearance from the MEA is required for senior political leaders.
“The CM was planning a trip of 7-10 days to these countries. The idea was to invite investors to invest in Punjab on the lines of a similar trip to Japan and South Korea at the year’s end. The reason has not been given. This is what MEA does. It only writes whether the clearance is being given or not,” said a source.
The 25-member delegation, including K A P Sinha, Chief Secretary; Ravi Bhagat, Principal Secretary to CM; and officials of the industries and investment department, was planning to go to the UK and Israel in February to invite them to invest in the state.
The government is organising an investor’s summit in Punjab in March.
A source said, “As per the protocol, MEA sends the plan to the embassy/high commission of the country where the leaders want to visit. After that, clearance is given based on the response.”
The source said that political clearance is sought well before finalising such itineraries. “The itinerary is prepared only after the clearance. The hotel booking and other requirements are completed. The embassy/high commission usually helps organise meetings with the government of the country and with investors. All that was yet to be done. The dates of the trip were also yet to be finalised,” said the source.
“However, the clearance has not been given. We cannot do anything now. The CM has no option but to cancel the visit,” he said.
While The Indian Express reached out to MEA, a spokesperson refused to comment on the issue, saying a lot of calculation goes into allowing or denying.
From December 1 to 8 last year, Mann led a delegation to Japan and South Korea, held several meetings with investors in both countries and invited them to the 6th Progressive Punjab Investors’ Summit scheduled from March 13-15, 2026.
This is not the first time that Mann has been denied political clearance. In August 2024, he was denied permission to travel to Paris to cheer on the Indian hockey team at the Olympic Games.
He hit out at the Centre for denying him permission. At that time, the Centre stated that Mann was a Z-plus protectee, and that it was not possible to arrange his security on short notice.
In August 2025, Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO was denied permission to go to the US. The minister was scheduled to participate in the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) in Boston, Massachusetts, US.
This is not the first time that Mann has been denied political clearance. (Image: @BhagwantMann/X) 
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