K Natwar Singh, India’s former External Affairs Minister, died on Saturday at the age of 93 in Medanta Hospital Gurugram after a prolonged illness.
Natwar Singh was a Congress veteran who was born in Bharatpur, Rajasthan in 1931. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1984.
He was the foreign minister in UPA-I and also served as India’s Ambassador to Pakistan besides holding other senior diplomatic positions. Singh worked in former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s office from 1966 to 1971 as a civil services officer before joining the Congress in the 80s and becoming a minister in the Rajiv Gandhi Cabinet.
The former Congress MP served as India’s External Affairs Minister from 2004 to 2005 under the UPA-I government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. However, the Nehru-Gandhi loyalist quit Congress in 2008 after he had to resign from the UPA-I Government in 2005.
Natwar Singh and Congress parted ways bitterly over the Volcker report, which implicated him and his son as beneficiaries in Saddam Hussein’s ‘oil-for-food’ scandal.
Natwar Singh also wrote several books including, ‘The Legacy of Nehru: A Memorial Tribute’ and ‘My China Diary 1956-88’. His autobiography is titled ‘One Life is Not Enough.’
Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala confirmed Singh’s demise, saying, “The news of the demise of former Foreign Minister Natwar Singh ji is sad.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled his demise.
“Pained by the passing away of Natwar Singh. He made rich contributions to the world of diplomacy and foreign policy. He was also known for his intellect as well as prolific writing. My thoughts are with his family and admirers in this hour of grief,” he wrote on X.
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Source: ET
