Obit: Inder Kumar Gujral, Former Indian Prime Minister

Posted November 30th, 2012 at 7:50 am (UTC-5)
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Former Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral has died at the age of 92.

He died Friday after being admitted to a hospital earlier this month with a lung infection.

Mr. Gujral, India's 12th prime minister, served in that post for one year, beginning in April 1997.

He is probably best known for the so-called Gujral Doctrine, an approach to foreign policy based on peaceful accommodation, calling on India to treat its neighbors with generosity. The measure is widely regarded as a move to improve India's strained relations with Pakistan.

Mr. Gujral joined the ruling Congress party after independence, rising through the ranks to become the minister of information and broadcasting under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He also served as ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1976 to 1980.

He left the Congress party in the 1980s and joined the Janata Dal party.