NEW DELHI: A host of foreign dignitaries, including representatives from South Asian countries, attended the last rites of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the capital on Friday.

Although Pakistan’s new government is yet to assume office, information and law minister in the caretaker government Ali Zafar arrived with foreign office spokesperson Faisal Mohammed in the afternoon to attend the funeral, hours before Imran Khan was elected the Prime Minister. Faisal even tweeted Vajpayee’s famous poem on Indo-Pak relations - “jang na hone denge”.

Bhutan’s king Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk, Bangladesh foreign minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali and Nepal foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali arrived in the morning to attend the funeral at Rastriya Smriti Sthal.

Gyawali met external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and handed over a condolence message from Nepal PM K P Oli. In his message, Oli said: “Late Vajpayee was a visionary statesman with impeccable integrity and dedication. He will be remembered for his sagacity and exemplary selfless service to the people of India. In his demise, India and the world lost a towering political figure and Nepal a true friend and well-wisher. His contribution to strengthening Nepal-India relations will be remembered forever.”.

Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai and acting foreign minister of Sri Lanka Lakshman Kiriella were also present. Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe sent messages of condolence.

In a message, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said, “Standing before the United States Congress in 2000, he famously characterised US-India ties as a ‘natural partnership of shared endeavours’. He recognised early on that the United States and India, based on their shared democratic values, could develop a partnership that would contribute to the economic prosperity and security of the region and the world. Today, our two countries and our bilateral relationship continue to benefit from Prime Minister Vajpayee’s vision....”

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message of condolence to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi describing Vajpayee as an “outstanding statesman”. “Atal Bihari Vajpayee rightly commanded great respect around the world. He will be remembered as a politician who made a major personal contribution to the friendly relations and privileged strategic partnership between our countries.”

Though there was no representative from Male, President Abdulla Yameen sent a message of condolence while ambassador Ahmed Mohamed represented his country at the funeral. “We would fondly remember former Prime Minister Vajpayee for his contribution to human resource development in the Maldives, and for the memorable visit that he made to the Maldives during his tenure as the Prime Minister of India,” Yameen said in the message.

Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, said in a message: “Shri Vajpayee shaped the destiny of India through his bold leadership and his deep-rooted empathy for the common man....” Mauritius lowered its own flag on Friday as a mark of respect.

British high commissioner Sir Dominic Asquith also attended the funeral, joined by many other diplomats.

Condoling Vajpayee’s death, the Dalai Lama said: “Vajpayee was a truly dedicated politician. With his passing away, India has lost an eminent national leader. His eloquent support of the Tibetan people began in the late 1950s. Since then, he regularly took Indian governments to task in Parliament, prompting them to take a stronger stand on Tibet.”

Israeli foreign ministry’s director general Yuval Rotem said he was “deeply saddened to learn of the death of a giant”. He tweeted a a picture of Vajpayee shaking hands with former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon.

The French foreign ministry said in a condolence message, “Poet, politician, visionary, he left his mark on India’s history. His name remains linked to Indo-French friendship, which he shaped by launching the strategic partnership that has united our two countries since 1998.”

