Former Afghan President Karzai recalls Singh’s guidance, former Sri Lanka President Wickremesinghe pays respects at former Prime Minister’s home
“Take steady steps and take your time” was the advice then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave Hamid Karzai, who became President of Afghanistan at the age of 45, when he first met him in 2004. Speaking to The Hindu on Friday (December 27, 2024), Mr. Karzai said India and Afghanistan had the “best relations” during Dr. Singh’s tenure, as India became Afghanistan’s first Strategic Partner in 2012. “I was in a hurry, as a young President, and one day he told me – you can’t build a nation in a hurry, you have to have patience for institutions to be built and human capital to develop,” Mr. Karzai said, recalling Dr. Singh’s famous speech on South Asian connectivity and a vision of being able to have “Breakfast in Amritsar, Lunch in Lahore and Dinner in Kabul”.
As tributes poured in from around the world, many of the personal anecdotes came from leaders in India’s neighbourhood, who remembered Dr. Singh for his particular interest in South Asian ties. On Friday, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Bangladesh Chief Executive Muhammad Yunus, Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay were among those sitting heads of government and state that sent condolences.
Manmohan Singh death updates
“Dr. Singh’s wisdom, compassion, and leadership touched many lives, and also strengthened the bond between our two countries,” wrote Mr. Tobgay in a social media post, calling the late Prime Minister “a remarkable statesman and cherished friend of Bhutan”.
“Nepal will forever remember his support for democracy and lasting friendship,” wrote Mr. Oli, and said that Dr. Singh’s “wisdom, humility, and dedication shaped India and inspired the region”.
Mr. Yunus, a fellow economist, said Dr. Singh was responsible for India’s “economic transformation”, referring to the reforms of 1991. In a message released by the Chief Executive’s office, Mr. Yunus spoke of Dr. Singh’s role in promoting regional cooperation. “[Mr. Yunus] urged the South Asian countries to work together to build on the rich legacy of his ideas and work as a tribute to Dr. Manmohan Singh,” said the statement, adding that after he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, Dr. Singh had written to him, and Mr. Yunus was invited to address members of both Houses of Parliament at an annual parliamentary lecture.
Mr. Yunus said that as Prime Minister, Dr. Singh had “contributed to strengthening the bond of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between Bangladesh and India”.
“Dr. Singh’s commitment to progress, and his leadership to strengthen the ‘Look East Policy’ played a pivotal role in fostering development and cooperation across the South Asia region,” wrote Mr. Muizzu in a social media post, where he credited Dr. Singh’s 2011 visit to the Maldives for the SAARC summit as a “significant milestone in advancing our economic and social development”.
Praising Dr. Singh for his “humility and intellect”, Mr. Dissanayake said he was “a tireless advocate of international collaboration,” adding that he had “countless admirers worldwide”, and influence that “transcended national boundaries”.
Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is in Delhi at present, visited Dr. Singh’s home and paid his respects to the former Prime Minister who passed away on Thursday. In 1992, when they first met, Mr. Wickremesinghe was the Sri Lankan Industries Minister and Mr. Singh was Finance Minister, and both held deep discussions about liberalising their economies, and remained in contact years later, even after Dr. Singh demitted office in 2014.
“Dr. Singh was a distinguished economist and political leader,” said Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in a statement on behalf of the government. “Beyond his remarkable achievements in the field of economics, Dr. Singh demonstrated a commitment to promoting regional peace,” Mr. Dar said, adding that he had played a “notable role in improving Pakistan-India bilateral relations during his tenure as Prime Minister.” Although India and Pakistan came close to a non-territorial resolution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, the process was derailed after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Mr. Singh famously recited a couplet about the India-Pakistan situation that said “mistakes were made in moments, for which the price was paid for ages”.
Meanwhile, in Pakistan’s Chakwal district, where Dr. Singh was born, mourners gathered to speak about his relationship with Gah village, where he had studied until the fourth grade, before his family moved to Amritsar. Although Dr. Singh was never able to revisit his village, he invited his old classmate Raja Mohammad Ali to India and greeted him warmly, and when asked for help, sent a team from India to set up a solar water heater plant for the village.
An Indian visionary committed to regional peace: South Asian leaders remember Manmohan Singh
Former Afghan President Karzai recalls Singh’s guidance, former Sri Lanka President Wickremesinghe pays respects at former Prime Minister’s home
“Take steady steps and take your time” was the advice then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave Hamid Karzai, who became President of Afghanistan at the age of 45, when he first met him in 2004. Speaking to The Hindu on Friday (December 27, 2024), Mr. Karzai said India and Afghanistan had the “best relations” during Dr. Singh’s tenure, as India became Afghanistan’s first Strategic Partner in 2012. “I was in a hurry, as a young President, and one day he told me – you can’t build a nation in a hurry, you have to have patience for institutions to be built and human capital to develop,” Mr. Karzai said, recalling Dr. Singh’s famous speech on South Asian connectivity and a vision of being able to have “Breakfast in Amritsar, Lunch in Lahore and Dinner in Kabul”.
As tributes poured in from around the world, many of the personal anecdotes came from leaders in India’s neighbourhood, who remembered Dr. Singh for his particular interest in South Asian ties. On Friday, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Bangladesh Chief Executive Muhammad Yunus, Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay were among those sitting heads of government and state that sent condolences.
Manmohan Singh death updates
“Dr. Singh’s wisdom, compassion, and leadership touched many lives, and also strengthened the bond between our two countries,” wrote Mr. Tobgay in a social media post, calling the late Prime Minister “a remarkable statesman and cherished friend of Bhutan”.
“Nepal will forever remember his support for democracy and lasting friendship,” wrote Mr. Oli, and said that Dr. Singh’s “wisdom, humility, and dedication shaped India and inspired the region”.
Mr. Yunus, a fellow economist, said Dr. Singh was responsible for India’s “economic transformation”, referring to the reforms of 1991. In a message released by the Chief Executive’s office, Mr. Yunus spoke of Dr. Singh’s role in promoting regional cooperation. “[Mr. Yunus] urged the South Asian countries to work together to build on the rich legacy of his ideas and work as a tribute to Dr. Manmohan Singh,” said the statement, adding that after he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, Dr. Singh had written to him, and Mr. Yunus was invited to address members of both Houses of Parliament at an annual parliamentary lecture.
Mr. Yunus said that as Prime Minister, Dr. Singh had “contributed to strengthening the bond of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between Bangladesh and India”.
“Dr. Singh’s commitment to progress, and his leadership to strengthen the ‘Look East Policy’ played a pivotal role in fostering development and cooperation across the South Asia region,” wrote Mr. Muizzu in a social media post, where he credited Dr. Singh’s 2011 visit to the Maldives for the SAARC summit as a “significant milestone in advancing our economic and social development”.
Praising Dr. Singh for his “humility and intellect”, Mr. Dissanayake said he was “a tireless advocate of international collaboration,” adding that he had “countless admirers worldwide”, and influence that “transcended national boundaries”.
Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is in Delhi at present, visited Dr. Singh’s home and paid his respects to the former Prime Minister who passed away on Thursday. In 1992, when they first met, Mr. Wickremesinghe was the Sri Lankan Industries Minister and Mr. Singh was Finance Minister, and both held deep discussions about liberalising their economies, and remained in contact years later, even after Dr. Singh demitted office in 2014.
“Dr. Singh was a distinguished economist and political leader,” said Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in a statement on behalf of the government. “Beyond his remarkable achievements in the field of economics, Dr. Singh demonstrated a commitment to promoting regional peace,” Mr. Dar said, adding that he had played a “notable role in improving Pakistan-India bilateral relations during his tenure as Prime Minister.” Although India and Pakistan came close to a non-territorial resolution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, the process was derailed after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Mr. Singh famously recited a couplet about the India-Pakistan situation that said “mistakes were made in moments, for which the price was paid for ages”.
Meanwhile, in Pakistan’s Chakwal district, where Dr. Singh was born, mourners gathered to speak about his relationship with Gah village, where he had studied until the fourth grade, before his family moved to Amritsar. Although Dr. Singh was never able to revisit his village, he invited his old classmate Raja Mohammad Ali to India and greeted him warmly, and when asked for help, sent a team from India to set up a solar water heater plant for the village.
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