Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has accepted Islamabad’s invitation to travel to Kartarpur Sahib across the border, and take part in the Kartarpur Corridor inauguration ceremony, scheduled to be held in November this year.
The confirmation came from Indian Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s spokesperson, Raveen Thukral, who stated that former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will join the first Jatha of Sikh pilgrims to visit the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Kartarpur Sahib, on 9th November.
Former PM Dr Manmohan Singh accepts @capt_amarinder’s invite to join 1st Jatha to Sri Kartarpur Gurdwara on Nov 9, will also attend Sultanpur Lodhi main event @550yrsGuruNanak pic.twitter.com/cD9rJoZUBT
— Raveen Thukral (@Raveen64) October 3, 2019
Dr. Manmohan Singh has also agreed to attend the Sultanpur Lodhi main event to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.
Dr. Manmohan Accepts Invitation
CM Indian Punjab, Capt. Amarinder Singh has extended invitations to the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take part in the all-party group that would arrive at the historic inauguration of the Kartarpur Corridor, to be held in Pakistan.
Met PM Shri @narendramodi & apprised him of the State Government’s preparations for the grand celebrations at Sultanpur Lodhi & Dera Baba Nanak on the occasion of #550PrakashPurab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Invited him to visit Punjab for the celebrations and preside over same. pic.twitter.com/3nFAap9OOo
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) October 3, 2019
He met with Prime Minister Modi, Indian President Kovind, and Dr. Manmohan Singh separately on Thursday in New Delhi, and extended invitations to the three leaders.
Met President Ram Nath Kovind ji and invited him to grace the celebrations at Sultanpur Lodhi on the occasion of #550PrakashPurab of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. @PunjabGovtIndia is making all necessary arrangements to observe this historic occasion in a befitting manner. @rashtrapatibhvn pic.twitter.com/FoQRGMG7t1
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) October 3, 2019
Amarinder Singh said that Dr. Manmohan Singh has accepted the invitation to take part in the inauguration ceremony. Amarinder Singh said, “Happy to meet former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji at his residence today. Have invited him to join us on the 1st Jatha to Sri Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara & attend the main event at Sultanpur Lodhi to mark Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s 550th Prakash Purab.”
The Foreign Minister also extended an invitation to Sikh pilgrims across the world, inviting them to attend the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had announced Pakistan’s decision to invite former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the inauguration ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor on Monday.
Happy to meet former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh ji at his residence today. Have invited him to join us on the 1st Jatha to Sri Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara & attend the main event at Sultanpur Lodhi to mark Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji's #550thPrakashPurab. pic.twitter.com/CZw5bbeUDj
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) October 3, 2019
In a video message, Foreign Minister Qureshi had said, “After consultations, Pakistan had decided to extend an invitation to Dr. Manmohan Singh for the inauguration ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor. He is held in high esteem across Pakistan, and he will represent the Sikh community.”
The Foreign Minister stressed that the Kartarpur Corridor is an important project for Pakistan, and Prime Minister Imran Khan is personally invested in its timely completion.
Read more: Kartarpur corridor to remain open for Sikhs despite India tensions
Qureshi said, “On behalf of the Pakistani government, as the foreign minister of Pakistan, I extend an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor.” The Foreign Minister added that the government will also send a formal written invitation to Dr. Singh.
The Foreign Minister also extended an invitation to Sikh pilgrims across the world, inviting them to attend the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak.
Atif Majeed, Pakistan’s project director had informed earlier this month that the visa-free border crossing from India to Pakistan’s Kartarpur area will be inaugurated on 9th November, in time to receive pilgrims of the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, to be held on 12th November.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3B-vdBlwIr/
Pakistan has agreed to allow passage to 5000 Sikh pilgrims from India every day, allowing them to access the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Narowal district, via the Kartarpur Corridor.
Despite the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan after the Modi-led government unlawfully stripped away occupied Kashmir’s special constitutional status, imposed a brutal lockdown and intensified its ceasefire violations killing many on Pakistan’s side of the Line of Control (LOC), the PTI-led government has fulfilled its promises with regards to the Kartarpur Corridor.
Dr. Manmohan Singh
Dr. Manmohan Singh is a notable Indian economist and politician, and the first Sikh to assume the Prime Ministerial office of India. He served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014 and became the first Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to be re-elected for a consecutive term.
In 1991, Manmohan Singh served as the Finance Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister P. V Narasimha Rao and gained popularity for carrying multiple structural reforms to liberalize the Indian economy. During the regime of Atal Bihari Vajpayee from 1998 to 2004, Dr. Manmohan Singh served as the Leader of the Opposition in the upper house of the Indian Parliament.
In 2019, Singh filed his nominations as a Congress Candidate to the Indian Rajya Sabha (upper house) from Rajasthan.