New Delhi, September 30: Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh won't accept Pakistan's invitation for the inauguration of the Kartarpur Corridor, sources in Congress told news agency ANI on Monday. The reaction came shortly after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi invited Manmohan Singh to attend the inaugural ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor on November 9. Qureshi said that a formal invitation will be sent to Singh soon.

"We have decided to invite former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He is held in high esteem and represents the Sikh community. On behalf of the Pakistan government, I extend our invite to him. We shall invite him in writing too," Qureshi has said. Singh served as the first Sikh Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014. The minister added that the Imran Khan-led government has decided to hold the Kartarpur Corridor inauguration ceremony in a big way.

Pakistan Invites Dr Manmohan Singh For Inauguration of Kartarpur Corridor:

"We are also very happy to receive the Sikh pilgrims who are coming to Kartarpur to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak," Qureshi said. The Kartarpur Corridor will allow Sikh pilgrims to travel from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Pakistan. The 16th-century Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan has historical significance for Sikhs as Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, spent 18 years there.

The corridor will open on November 9 to mark the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the Kartarpur Corridor on November 28, 2018. In India, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh laid the foundation stone of the religious corridor opening of which was a long-pending demand of the Sikh community.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2019 05:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).