Condolences pour in from world on Manmohan Singh’s death

Washington/Sri Lanka: Leaders from across the world including, the US, Canada, France, Russia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have expressed grief over the death of former prime minister Manmohan Singh and recalled his contributions to strengthening bilateral relations.

Singh, the architect of India’s economic reforms, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi on Thursday night. He was 92.

He is survived by his wife Gursharan Kaur, a history professor, and three daughters.

Leaders from Afghanistan, Maldives, Mauritius, and Nepal also paid their tributes to Singh. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called him “one of the greatest champions of the bilateral strategic partnership”.

“Dr Singh was one of the greatest champions of the US-India strategic partnership, and his work laid the foundation for much of what our countries have accomplished together in the past two decades,” Blinken said. Offering condolences to the people of India for the passing of Singh, Blinken said the leadership of the former prime minister in advancing the US-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement signified a major investment in the potential of the US-India relationship.

“At home, Dr Singh will be remembered for his economic reforms that spurred India’s rapid economic growth. We mourn Dr Singh’s passing and will always remember his dedication to bringing the United States and India closer together,” Blinken said.

Russia President Vladimir Putin extended condolences to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Singh’s passing.

Calling him an “outstanding statesman”, Putin said, “As prime minister and when serving in other high-ranking positions, he accomplished a lot in promoting India’s economic development and asserting its interests on the world stage.”

Putin said Singh also made a major personal contribution to strengthening friendly ties between India and Russia by elevating them to the level of a special privileged strategic partnership. “I had the occasion of talking with this remarkable man several times. We will cherish the memory of him,” he added. French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said “India has lost a great man” and France a true friend, in the person of Dr Manmohan Singh.