Referring to the Congress leader and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu's acceptance of the Pakistani invite to the inauguration of the Kartarpur Corridor, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday that the invitees will need a political clearance to visit the country.

The development came hours after Navjot Singh Sidhu accepted Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's invitation to attend the opening ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor scheduled on November 9.

On being asked if Navjot Singh Sidhu is in the list of pilgrims to go to the inaugural "jatha" to Kartarpur Gurdwara, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the political personalities and the Pakistan invitees will need political clearance for the visits.

"I think the political personalities or invitees who think they need to get a political clearance and those not included in the list will know about it. There won't be surprises. My understanding is that the normal rules for seeking political clearance for such visits will apply," Raveesh Kumar said while addressing a press conference.

Raveesh Kumar, MEA: My understanding is that the normal rules for seeking political clearance for such visits will apply. https://t.co/HXIKJY8Dgh — ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2019

Pakistan on Thursday invited Navjot Singh Sidhu to attend the inaugural ceremony of the landmark Kartarpur Corridor. On the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed contacted Navjot Sidhu and extended the invitation for the opening ceremony, The Express Tribune reported.

In August 2018, Navjot Singh Sidhu had attended the oath-taking ceremony of PM Imran Khan.

India and Pakistan last week signed the agreement on the Kartarpur Corridor that will allow Indian pilgrims to undertake a visa-free visit to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the shrine of the Sikh religion's founder Guru Nanak Dev in Pakistan, notwithstanding a chill in bilateral ties over Kashmir.