The caretaker law and information minister Ali Zafar will attend the former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s funeral in India on Friday.
Barrister Ali Zafar is joined by Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr. Muhammad Faisal and senior officials from the Law Ministry.
The 93-year-old had battled poor health for years but his condition deteriorated sharply in recent days, with doctors placing him on life support.
The sudden turn sparked a flurry of visits from top dignitaries, including Modi, who credited Vajpayee with laying the foundations for the meteoric rise of the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that rules India today.
“Atal Ji’s passing away is a personal and irreplaceable loss for me,” Modi said in a tweet Thursday, using a Hindi-language honorific.
“It was Atal Ji’s exemplary leadership that set the foundations for a strong, prosperous and inclusive India in the 21st century.
“It was due to the perseverance and struggles of Atal Ji that the BJP was built brick by brick.”
Atal Ji's passing away is a personal and irreplaceable loss for me. I have countless fond memories with him. He was an inspiration to Karyakartas like me. I will particularly remember his sharp intellect and outstanding wit.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 16, 2018
Vajpayee was being treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, where he was admitted nine weeks ago.
Prominent leaders across Pakistan offered their condolences to the people of India.
