bdnews24.com : India’s former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has died at the age of 67.
The confidante of Prime Minister Narendra Modi died at a New Delhi hospital, the local media reported on Tuesday night.
Modi replaced Sushma, who had health issues, with S Jaishankar, a veteran diplomat and China expert, after the last general election.
Sushma, a veteran leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP, had undergone a kidney transplant surgery three years ago.
India Today reported she was rushed to the AIIMS after suffering a heart attack in the evening.
Bangladesh signed many important deals with India during the tenure of Sushma, a star minister in Modi’s 2014-2019 cabinet.
These included the historic Land Boundary Agreement which enabled the two countries to swap 162 enclaves.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed “deep condolence” at the death of Sushma and extended sympathy to her family in a message.
“She (Sushma) was a good friend of Bangladesh. With her death Bangladesh has lost a good friend,” Hasina said in the message.
“Bangladesh will recall her contributions in taking the relationship between the two countries to a new height,” her Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim quoted the prime minister as saying.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen also condoled the demise of the former external affairs of India and prayed for the departed soul, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.
