Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh declines Pakistan invite for Kartarpur Corridor

New Delhi, Nov 25: Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh has declined Pakistan Foreign Minister's invitation to attend the foundation stone laying for Kartarpur Corridor, citing continued terrorist attacks in his state and killings of Indian soldiers by Pakistan armed forces.

The Pakistan government on Saturday extended an invitation to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor on November 28.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is slated to inaugurate the groundbreaking ceremony of the facilities at the crossing on the Pakistan side on November 28. On Friday, Pakistan had decided to open the Kartarpur corridor next year on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

Pakistan's decision came after the Indian Cabinet on November 22 approved the building and development of Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to India-Pakistan International Border.

Kartarpur is a small town in Narowal district, situated about 4 kilometres from the Pakistan-India border, where Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life. Subsequently, Gurdwara Darbar Sahab was built at the site on the Pakistan side and Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak in India, which are visited by thousands of Sikhs every year.