Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a beloved leader of India, who was also greatly respected in neighbouring Pakistan, and indeed around the world.
India’s three-time prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away in New Delhi on August 16 after suffering a prolonged illness.
He was a beloved leader of not just India, but also enjoyed widespread respect in Pakistan, where he took the historic India-Pakistan Dosti Bus in 1999, in collaboration with his Pakistani counterpart, Mian Nawaz Sharif.
A prolific poet, he was known as the “poet-prime minister” of India. He was highly respected for his moderate views, despite belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party and its predecessor, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh. His views on Indo-Pak peace have elevated him to the status of a statesman from a politician.
SBS Punjabi paid a tribute to this leader who left his admirers at the age of 93.
Listen to this feature in Punjabi here, which includes excerpts of his poetry.
