Manmohan Singh accepts Pakistan’s invitation, being part of first ‘jatha’ to Kartarpur Corridor

News Bharati    03-Oct-2019
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New Delhi, October 3: Binding in past relations, pretending to connect chords on religious status, Pakistan invited former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to inaugurate Kartarpur Corridor in the neighbouring country. As expected, Manmohan Singh has accepted Captain Amarinder Singh's invite to attend the Kartarpur Corridor ceremony in Pakistan along with him. However, the former Prime Minister has not yet responded to Pakistan's invite.

 

The Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh in a tweet posted that after he met the former PM Manmohan Singh at his residence, the CM informed that he invited Manmohan Singh to join on the first Jatha to Sri Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara and attend the main event at the Sultanpur Lodhi to mark Sri Guru Nanak Dev's 550th Prakash Purab. In less than an hour later, Dr. Manmohan Singh's attendance was confirmed.

 

Pawning past links, the Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on September 30, invited former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to travel across the border for the Kartarpur corridor inauguration in November this year. The Pakistan Foreign Minister in a video message announced the decision to invite Dr Manmohan Singh followed up with a formal invitation from Pakistan.

The video message by Qureshi also made a reference to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s deep interest in the Kartarpur project. He said, “Dr Singh is widely respected in India and hails from the Sikh community.” The Kartarpur corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims, who will have to obtain a permit to make the pilgrimage.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the other hand, will stay on the Indian side of the border. He will inaugurate the integrated check post (ICP) in Kartarpur Sahib on November 9 and and flag off the first Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)-led group of pilgrims from India to Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of the guru, which is now in Pakistan.