In Inder Kumar Gujral’s death, India has lost a great patriot and the international community a wise and dedicated citizen of the world. Architect of the Gujral doctrine, he strove to secure a better position for India.
He believed that lasting peace was the prerequisite for the progress of a nation and pursued a policy of friendship with all and enmity with none. Indeed, Gujral was a gentleman politician, as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described him.
A.S. Farida,
Chennai
The nation has lost yet another senior leader whose defining qualities of statesmanship will inspire many young leaders today. At a time of fleeting political changes, he led the nation with a commitment which is hard to find among modern-day politicians. The Gujral doctrine, though limited in its appeal today, was a meaningful initiative aimed at maintaining good relations with the neighbours.
S.A. Thameemul Ansari,
Kayalpatnam
In 1990, my daughter, a teacher in England, was visiting us in Kerala. Iraq invaded Kuwait and her plane was captured at the Kuwait airport. The passengers were held captive at a hotel in the airport. All communication was cut off. We had no news of her safety. Gujral, who was then External Affairs Minister, went from Delhi and negotiated with Saddam Hussein. He arranged and brought back, in an air force cargo plane, a few elderly and sick people, women and children who were stranded in Kuwait. After three weeks of no news, we got a phone call from Delhi saying the minister and his officials had brought my daughter to Delhi. She was then sent home. I pay my respects to his memory.
Mary Varughese,
Vadaserikara
