APD | South Asian leaders attend Vajpayee’s funeral

By APD writer Rishika Chauhan

NEW DELHI, August 18 (APD) – Many South Asian leaders attended former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s funeral as he was laid to rest with state honours in the capital on Friday.

Bhutan’s king Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk was there to pay final tribute to the politician, along with Nepal’s foreign minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and his Bangladeshi counterpart Abdul Hassan Mahmud Ali. Pakistan’s law minister Ali Zafar and Sri Lanka ‘s acting foreign minister Lakshman Kiriella, were also present.

On the death of the former prime minister, Pakistan’s Prime Minister elect Imran Khan said, “There is a void in the politics of South Asia after his death. There can be political differences but the desire of peace remains present across the border. We stand with India in this difficult time.”

In a message to Prime Minister Modi, Nepal’s Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli said that Vajpayee was a “visionary statesman with impeccable integrity and dedication, who will be remembered for his sagacity and exemplary selfless service to the people of India.”

Thousands of people attended the funeral along with eminent leaders. Prime Minister Modi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, were among them.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)