Reactions
Kalam's death was marked with an outpouring of grief in India, with numerous tributes made to the former President across the nation and on social media. The Government of India declared a seven-
day state mourning period as a mark of respect. PresidentPranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and other leaders condoled the former President's demise. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "his [Kalam's] death is a great loss to the scientific community. He took India to great heights. He showed the way." Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who had served as prime minister under Kalam, said that with his death, "our country has lost a great human being who made phenomenal contributions to the promotion of self reliance in defence technologies. I worked very closely with Dr. Kalam as prime minister and I greatly benefited from his advice as president of our country. His life and work will be remembered for generations to come." The Dalai Lama expressed his sadness, offering condolences and prayers and calling Kalam's death "an irreparable loss". ISRO chairman A. S. Kiran Kumar called his former colleague "a great personality and a gentleman," while former chairman G. Madhavan Nair described Kalam as "a global leader" who "was caring for humanity...always, the downtrodden and poor people were his priority. He always had a passion to convey what is in his mind to the young generation," adding that his death left a vacuum which none could fill.
South Asian leaders expressed condolences and lauded the late statesman. The Bhutanese government ordered the country's flags to fly at half-staff to mourn Kalam's death, and made an offering of 1000 butter lamps in homage. Bhutanese Prime MinisterTshering Tobgay expressed his deep sadness, saying Kalam "was a leader greatly admired by all people, especially the youth of India who have referred to him as the people’s President." Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina described Kalam as "a rare combination of a great statesman, acclaimed scientist and a source of inspiration to the young generation of South Asia" and termed his death an "irreparable loss to India and beyond." Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief Khaleda Zia said "as a nuclear scientist, he engaged himself in the welfare of the people." Ashraf Ghani, the President of Afghanistan, called Kalam "an inspirational figure to millions of people," noting that "we have a lot to learn from his life." Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala recalled Kalam's scientific contributions to India. "Nepal has lost a good friend and I have lost an honoured and ideal personality." The President of Pakistan, Mamnoon Hussain, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, also expressed their grief and condolences on his passing. The President of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena, also expressed his condolences, saying, "Dr. Kalam was a man of firm conviction and indomitable spirit, and I saw him as an outstanding statesman of the world. His death is an irreparable loss not only to India but to the entire world." The Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, expressed condolences on behalf of the Myanmar government.
Other international leaders, including former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, Singaporean prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai also paid tribute to Kalam. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his sincere condolences and conveyed his sympathy and support "to the near and dear ones of the deceased leader, to the government and entire people of India." He remarked on Kalam's outstanding "personal contribution to the social, economic, scientific and technical progress of India and in ensuring its national security," adding that Dr. Kalam would be remembered as a "consistent exponent of closer friendly relations between our nations, who has done a lot for cementing mutually beneficial Russian-Indian cooperation." Kathleen Wynne, the premier of Ontario, which Kalam had visited on numerous occasions, expressed her "deepest condolences...as a respected scientist, he played a critical role in the development of the Indian space program. As a committed educator, he inspired millions of young people to achieve their very best. And as a devoted leader, he gained support both at home and abroad, becoming known as "the people's President." I join our Indo-Canadian families, friends and neighbours in mourning the passing of this respected leader." U.S. President Barack Obamastated, "On behalf of the American people, I wish to extend my deepest condolences to the people of India on the passing of former Indian President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. A scientist and statesman, Dr. Kalam rose from humble beginnings to become one of India’s most accomplished leaders, earning esteem at home and abroad. An advocate for stronger U.S.-India relations, Dr. Kalam worked to deepen our space cooperation, forging links with NASA during a 1962 visit to the United States. His tenure as India’s 11th president witnessed unprecedented growth in U.S.-India ties. Suitably named “the People’s President,” Dr. Kalam’s humility and dedication to public service served as an inspiration to millions of Indians and admirers around the world."" The U.S. Ambassador to India, Rich Verma, on behalf of the State Department, expressed his "condolences to the Indian people on the passing of former President Dr. Abdul Kalam, an inspiring scientist and leader."
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