New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi on Monday suggested that an all-party delegation constituted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Manmohan Singh as the head could be sent for the inaugural ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor after Pakistan decided to invite the former PM for the event.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Monday that his country has decided to invite Singh to attend the inaugural ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor. Reacting to this, Singhvi said in a tweet: “Pakistan’s invite to Dr Manmohan Singh, I suggest to the government of India, Prime Minister and Home Minister: send all-party delegation to Pakistan. Whole country to show solidarity qua Pakistan.”
“PM to personally constitute such delegation of selected individuals. Even more significant than P V Narsimha Rao nomination of (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee to head UN delgation,” he said. “I meant PM should request Dr Manmohan Singh to head this multi individual delegation to Pakistan,” Singhvi, a Congress spokesperson, said in another tweet.
Singh’s office said it has no information about the invite so far and sources indicated that he is unlikely to attend.
The corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Pakistan with the 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 the revered Kartarpur Sahib.
Pakistan is scheduled to open the Kartarpur Corridor for Indian Sikh pilgrims on 9 November, days ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of first Sikh guru Baba Nanak on 12 November.