Former Indian PM Vajpayee dies at 93

NEW DELHI: Former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away on Thursday in New Delhi at the age of 93, the Indian media reported.

According to reports, the former Indian prime minister was suffering from chronic kidney disease for a long time. He was under treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences since June.

During Vajpayee’s last days, Indian PM Narendra Modi and other leaders also visited him at the hospital and inquired about his health. Vajpayee first became PM of India for only 16 days — May 16-31, 1996. He was re-elected for prime minister-ship in March 1998, where he remained in the office until May 13, 2004.

The former Indian premier was born in 1924 in Gwalior and was among the founding members of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Vajpayee had taken retirement from politics in 2005. Four years on, he suffered a stroke that eventually led to dementia as well.

Meanwhile, prime minister-in-waiting and Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan Thursday extended condolences over the demise of former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Imran expressed heartfelt grief over the passing away of former Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. “Subcontinent has lost a phenomenal and a visionary political figure today,” said chairman PTI and lauded his role regarding Pak-India bilateral relations and noted that his contribution will never be forgotten. The chairman PTI stated that there could be political differences between the two countries, however, the desire to establish peace existed on both sides of the border.

Imran said that former PM’s demise had created a vacuum in the political arena of the Subcontinent. In order to pay homage to his tireless services, he said, “We can strive for the establishment and promotion of peace across the region. I extend sympathies to the people of India in this hour of grief.”