Atal Bihari Vajpayee funeral Highlights: Former PM cremated with full state honours at Smriti Sthal

The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) Isaak-Muivah faction has said that it is ‘deeply saddened’ to hear the demise of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister of India. A statement issued by the Ministry of Information and Publicity (MIP), said late Vajpayee was a great leader who could understand the Nagas and was committed to find an honourable settlement to the Naga issue. READ MORE

The last rites are being performed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee's daughter Namita Bhattacharya, standing with Grand Daughter Niharika, on Friday, August 17, 2018. (Express photo by Tashi Tobgyal) See more PICS HERE

A girl was seen paying tribute to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee while his mortal remains were being taken from the old quarters in Delhi for cremation. The last rites were conducted at Smriti Sthal in Delhi as the departed leader was accorded a state funeral. The moment was captured by The Indian Express photojournalist Abhinav Saha (@abhinavsaha).

Change of Guard ceremony on the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan will not be held tomorrow due to state mourning.

Ashes of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was accorded a state funeral today, will be immersed in every rives in Uttar Pradesh including Ganga, Yamuna and Tapti. Uttar Pradesh government said that this will be done to respect the grand stature of iconic BJP leader.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who regarded Vajpayee as a father figure to him, said that Atal Ji will live on in hearts and minds of every Indian.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweets as former PM Vajpayee was cremated at Smriti Sthal in Delhi with full state honours. He said that people came from all parts of India, from all sections of society to pay tributes to an extraordinary personality who made an extraordinary contribution to the nation.

Earlier in the day, King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks in Delhi. The Bhutanese king was also present in the funeral ceremony of former PM Vajpayee at Smriti Sthal.

Among the Indian politicians and leaders across party lines, foreign dignitaries were also present at Smriti Sthal where Vajpayee was cremated with full state honours

The last rites are being conducted by Vajpayee's adopted daughter Namita Bhattacharya. She has lit the funeral pyre.

Last rites ceremony of the former PM is underway. You can also watch the LIVE telecast on DD news

Pakistan Law Minister Ali Zafar in Delhi to pay condolences to Vajpayee on the behalf of people of Pakistan and the Government of Pakistan. We are here to share your grief and pay our condolences on the behalf of people of Pakistan and the Government of Pakistan: Pakistan Law Minister Ali Zafar after arriving in Delhi for the funeral of former PM #AtalBihariVajpayee pic.twitter.com/47aFQyv05E— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2018

The body of former PM Vajpayee who passed away yesterday will be kept on a pyre soon. State funeral is being accorded to the poet leader and a great statesman who remained unmarried throughout his life.

Tricolor wrapped around mortal remains of Vajpayee has been handed over to his family

BJP president Amit Shah pays last respects to the departed leader. Shah had yesterday said that Atal ji will be immortal like a polestar. Former PM Manmohan Singh has also paid his last respects to the leader. The two leaders shared a similar ideology for liberalisation

President Ram Nath Kovind pays his respect to Vajpayee at Smriti Sthal. Amid a teary-eyed atmosphere, leaders across party lines are present to pay their last respects to the great leader. 

Several dignitaries are paying floral tributes at Smriti Stal where the mortal remains of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee have been kept for final rites

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the wreath near the body of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Other dignitaries have also made a beeline to pay floral tributes to the departed soul.

The chiefs of all three defence forces lay the wreath at Smriti Sthal where funeral the ceremony of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee is being conducted.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee being given 'Salami Shastra' --  a gun salute as final farewell gets underway amid the chant of mantras. 

Leaders from across party lines were present at Smriti Sthal to pay homage to the iconic BJP leader. Also seen were Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia along with Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Ashok Gehlot and Raj Babbar

People from across the political spectrum and common men have joined in for the last rites of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Rahul Gandhi have arrived at Smriti Sthal for funeral of Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Union Jack flies at half-mast at the British High Commission in New Delhi as a mark of respect to Former PM #AtalBihariVajpayee. pic.twitter.com/QN0DKiB5OW— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2018

Railway workers today paid homage to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was once the president of a station masters' union, and recalled the saffron leader's dedication to the workers' movement.

BJP chief Amit Shah, several union ministers and party leaders also walked somberly behind the cortege as it made its way to the Rashtriya Smirti Sthal where the last rites would be performed. A huge crowd of people showered petals at the funeral procession and jostled to get a glimpse of the former prime minister.

Thousands of mourners jostled and some clambered on trees to capture the moment on their phones as former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's cortege left the BJP's headquarters for Rashtriya Smriti Sthal for the last rites of the poet-politician. People from across the country gathered outside the BJP headquarters and hundreds lined up inside to pay homage to the former prime minister, who wove together pragmatism and a vision for an inclusive India.

The distance between BJP headquarters and Smriti Sthal is about 4 Kilometers. PM Modi, Amit Shah, Smriti Irani and several other leaders  has taken part in the procession. 

The late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a connoisseur of poetry and music, was a fan of the 88-year-old Hindustani classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj and called him 'Rasraj' (King of Rasas). Pandit Jasraj disclosed this during the launch of his authorised biography, "Rasraj: Pandit Jasraj" in the US recently, author Sunita Budhiraja said. "Pandit Jasraj told the audience that it was Atal ji who first called him Rasraj. That was the upadhi (title) that Pandit Jasraj loves most," she told PTI. "Atal ji lives through the music of Pandit Jasraj and the title of my book," she said.

Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali arrived here today to pay their last respects to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who passed away yesterday at the age of 93. Sri Lanka's Acting Foreign Minister Lakshman Kiriella, Nepal's Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali, Pakistan's acting information minister Syed Zafar Ali and a senior minister from Afghanistan are also expected to arrive here later today to pay their respects to Vajpayee, official sources said.

Thousands of people gathered outside the BJP headquarters today and hundreds lined up inside to pay homage to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the poet-politician who wove together pragmatism and a vision for an inclusive India. The young and old, men and women, some with children, jostled outside the gates of the BJP headquarters, anxious for a last glimpse of the late leader before the state funeral at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal on the banks of the Yamuna later in the day.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shahbaz Sharif said that Vajpayee and former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif had launched a sincere peace effort between the two countries. 'In the death of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India has lost a leader whose services to regional peace will be remembered for long time. He and Nawaz Sharif launched a sincere peace effort between neighbouring countries in 1999. Wish India builds on his legacy by giving peace a chance,' Shahbaz said in a tweet. According to the PML-N, Vajpayee and Sharif had initiated peace efforts between the two countries after the former's historic bus journey to Lahore in 1999 but General Pervez Musharraf did a Kargil misadventure, sabotaging their efforts and later overthrowing the Sharif government.

Pakistan government and top leaders have paid respects to Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said the former Indian prime minister contributed to bringing "a change" in bilateral ties and remained a key supporter of regional cooperation for development. Prime Minister-in-waiting Imran Khan also expressed condolences over Vajpayee's demise, saying his efforts for India-Pakistan peace will always be remembered. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said that "we have learnt with sadness the passing away of Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee". "Mr Vajpayee was a renowned statesman who contributed to bringing a change in India-Pakistan relations and remained a key supporter of SAARC and regional cooperation for development," he said in a statement. The government and people of Pakistan extend their "heartfelt condolences" to Vajpayee's family and to the government and people of India, the spokesman said.

The Tripura government has declared a holiday today as a mark of respect to the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who died in New Delhi yesterday.A notification, issued here last night, said all government offices and educational institutes and banks run by the state government would remain closed today. The state government also declared state mourning for seven days with effect from yesterday. Throughout the mourning period the national flag will fly at half mast, it said.

Hundreds of people chanted "Atal Bihari Amar Rahe" as former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee left home for the last time today and his cortege made its way through the city to reach the BJP headquarters, where leaders gathered in large numbers to pay their homage. A decorated gun carriage carrying the mortal remains of Vajpayee, who died last evening, left his home on Krishna Menon Marg around 10 am and reached the party's headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, about five kilometres away, around 11 am. A huge crowd gathered outside the BJP headquarters, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and a host of ministers and party workers gathered to pay their last respects to the late leader, mourned by them and the opposition as one of India's tallest leaders. The air was solemn as Vajpayee's body, draped in the tricolour, was placed on a platform draped in white flowers. Hundreds of people filed past the body in silence, with a large portrait of a smiling Vajpayee in the backdrop.

Hundreds of people chanted "Atal Bihari Amar Rahe" as former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee left home for the last time today and his cortege made its way through the city to reach the BJP headquarters, where leaders gathered in large numbers to pay their homage. A decorated gun carriage carrying the mortal remains of Vajpayee, who died last evening, left his home on Krishna Menon Marg around 10 am and reached the party's headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, about five kilometres away, around 11 am. A huge crowd gathered outside the BJP headquarters, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and a host of ministers and party workers gathered to pay their last respects to the late leader, mourned by them and the opposition as one of India's tallest leaders. The air was solemn as Vajpayee's body, draped in the tricolour, was placed on a platform draped in white flowers. Hundreds of people filed past the body in silence, with a large portrait of a smiling Vajpayee in the backdrop.

The wholesale commodity markets, including bullion and metal, remained closed today in national capital today as a mark of respect for former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister have condoled the death of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said the former Indian prime minister played a vital role in ensuring stability of the island nation. Sirisena took to Twitter to condole the death of Vajpayee and said: "Today, we have lost a great humanist and a true friend of Sri Lanka. Former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a visionary leader and an ardent defender of democracy. My condolences to his family and millions of his admirers around the world."

Wickremesinghe said that he enjoyed good relations with Vajpayee between 2002-2004 during his previous tenure as Sri Lankan prime minister. "I am deeply saddened by the death of Shri Vajpayee who was a true friend of Sri Lanka. He played a vital role in ensuring stability of Sri Lanka. I will continue to treasure the memories of my friendship with this great man," he said.

Sri Lanka is sending Minister of Highways and Higher Education Lakshman Kiriella to represent the country at Vajpayee's funeral in New Delhi.

"We remember him for his contribution to Bangladesh Liberation War and strong support to the people of Bangladesh. He had a great liking for Bengali music. I had the privilege of serving in Delhi as career diplomat when he became Foreign Minister," says Bangladesh Foreign Minister on Atal Bihari Vajpayee.