New Delhi: Representatives from India's immediate neighbourhood, including Pakistan, turned up at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal on Friday afternoon to bid farewell to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as his mortal remains were consigned to flames with full state honours.
Barring the Maldives, the entire Saarc membership was represented at the funeral.
Bhutan had the highest level of representation with the monarch, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, himself coming to offer homage. He, along with the other foreign dignitaries, were escorted to the cremation ground together by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.
Pakistan's caretaker information and law minister Ali Zafar led the Pakistan delegation for the funeral. Before he set out, Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesperson Mohammad Faisal sought to set the tone of the engagement in Vajpayee's own words from his poem Hum jung na hone denge (We will not allow war to break out).
In a tweet, Mohammad Faisal said: " Jang na hone denge/ Bharat Pakistan padosi, saath-saath rehna hai / Pyar karein ya 'war' karein, donon ko hi sehna hai... / Jo hum par guzari, bachchon par na hone denge / Jang na hone denge #Atalji #RIPAtalBihariVajpayee."
It translates as: "We won't allow war to break out. India and Pakistan are neighbours and have to live together. Whether we love each other or go to war, we have to deal with it.... Hope our future generations do not have to relive what we have had to go through. We won't allow war."
Afghanistan was represented by former President Hamid Ansari, Nepal and Bangladesh by their foreign ministers Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali, respectively, and Sri Lanka by acting FM Lakshman Kiriella.
Most of the visiting dignitaries, including the Pakistani caretaker minister, met Swaraj separately with their delegations. External affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the discussions were centred around Vajpayee and his contributions.
Condolence messages poured in from the world over, including US secretary of state Mike Pompeo in which he recalled Vajpayee's address to the US Congress in 2000 when the then Prime Minister had described bilateral relations as a "natural partnership of shared endeavours".
