Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will be going to Pakistan in the first Jatha for the inauguration of the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara on November 9. Singh accepted the invitation of Punjab's Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to join the first 'Jatha' (religious group) to Kartarpur Gurudwara in the month of November. He will also attend the main event on the Indian side of the Kartarpur Corridor at Sultanpur Lodhi.

It is interesting to note that Manmohan Singh, having been a former Prime Minister of India, has never visited Pakistan during the 10 years of his prime ministership. Singh was born in Gah which is in now in the Chakwal district of Pakistan's Punjab province. After the Partition, his family had shifted to Amritsar.

Meanwhile, sources in Punjab government said both Manmohan Singh and Capt Amrinder will go to Gurudwara through the corridor and will come back after praying at the holy place. It should not tantamount to Pakistan visit, they said.

On Monday, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had announced that the country would invite Dr Manmohan Singh for the inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor. Although no official reply had come from ex-Prime Minister Singh, Congress sources had said that he would not be taking up the invitation.

Earlier in the day, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to invite him for Kartarpur corridor opening.

He also sought "clearance for special delegation to visit Gurdwara Nankana Sahib & bring back Nagar Kirtan to mark the historic occasion", a tweet by the media advisor of Punjab CM, Raveen Thukral said.

Both President Kovind and PM Modi have accepted Punjab CM’s invite to attend 550th Prakash Purb celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev Ji in November.

The corridor is expected to be open by Nov 2019 during the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev Ji by both India and Pakistan though there hasn't been any official announcement.

The Gurudwara is built on the location where Guru Nanak Dev Ji spent the last 18 years of his life and is located in Pakistan's Narowal district, about four km from Dera Baba Nanak on the Indian side.