Former PM Manmohan Singh rejects Pakistan's invitation for Kartarpur corridor inauguration: Report

Congress sources have told news agency ANI that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will not accept Pakistan's invitation for the inauguration of Kartarpur corridor. Earlier, the Pakistan government had extended an invitation to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the inauguration of Kartarpur corridor that is scheduled to be held on November 9.

"The Kartarpur corridor inauguration is a big programme and Pakistan is preparing for it in a big way. We have decided to invite India's former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to grace the event... We will send a formal letter to him soon. We are also very happy to receive the Sikh pilgrims who are coming to Kartarpur to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

"The Kartarpur corridor inauguration is a big programme and Pakistan is preparing for it in a big way. We have decided to invite India's former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to grace the event... We will send a formal letter to him soon," Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in a video message.

The corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims, who will only have to obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib. Pakistan is scheduled to open the Kartarpur corridor for Indian Sikh pilgrims on November 9.