Pakistan on Monday invited former prime minister of India Manmohan Singh to attend the inauguration ceremony of Kartarpur Corridor scheduled for next month.

“After consultation, we have decided to invite former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh. He is Sikh by faith and is also regarded,” the foreign minister said in a video message.

The foreign minister extended an invitation to the former Indian prime minister to whom, he said, a formal invitation will also be sent in writing. He said the inauguration of Kartarpur Corridor will be a mega event for which extensive preparations are being made.

Qureshi said Pakistan is also looking forward to receive Sikh pilgrims who would arrive to take part in the celebration of the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak. “We also await the Sikh yatris […] to come and take part in the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak,” he said. “Kartarpur corridor is an important project, and the prime minister has a personal interest in it,” he added.

The Kartarpur Corridor, which will be the first visa-free route between Pakistan and India, is expected to open on November 11. Pakistan has kept the corridor project insulated from the recent tensions with India over the annulment of Article 370 and New Delhi’s subsequent repressive actions in Held Kashmir.

Kartarpur corridor connects Pakistan’s Narowal city to India’s Gurdaspur district. Kartarpur Sahib Temple is one of the most revered temples for the Sikh community where Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life. The distance between the temple and Gurdaspur is merely three kilometres but the closure of this crossing forces Sikh pilgrims from India to travel hundreds of kilometres, via Amritsar and Lahore, to reach here.