K Natwar Singh, former External Affairs Minister and author of ‘One Life is Not Enough’, dies at 93

Former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh breathed his last on August 10 night at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram where he was undergoing treatment following a prolonged illness. 

Singh, who was a diplomat before joining politics, had served as the External Affairs Minister from 2004-05 as part of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet. He had also served as the Union Minister of State for Steel, Mines and Coal and Agriculture from 1985-86 in the Rajiv Gandhi government, and the Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs from 1986-89. 

After joining the Indian Foreign Service at the age of 22 in 1953, Singh served as India’s Deputy High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1973 to 1977, subsequently taking on the role of High Commissioner to Zambia in 1977. He was also appointed as India’s Ambassador to Pakistan from 1980 to 1982, a particularly critical period in Indo-Pakistani relations. 

Natwar Singh and Congress parted ways bitterly over the Volcker report, which implicated him and his son as beneficiaries in Saddam Hussein's 'oil-for-food' scandal. Singh, however, always maintained that he had personally never made any gains. In February 2008, he resigned from the Congress party, ending his nearly 25-year-long association. 

Born in 1931 in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district, Singh had studied history at St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, before moving to Cambridge University and then Peking University in China for further studies. 

He was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award in India, after he served as the head of the preparatory committee of the Non-Alignment Summit in New Delhi in 1983. 

The 93-year-old former external affairs minister also authored several books including, ‘The Legacy of Nehru: A Memorial Tribute’ and ‘My China Diary 1956-88' and his autobiography titled ‘One Life is Not Enough’. 

Condoling his demise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X (formally Twitter), “Pained by the passing away of Shri Natwar Singh Ji. He made rich contributions to the world of diplomacy and foreign policy. He was also known for his intellect as well as prolific writing. My thoughts are with his family and admirers in this hour of grief. Om Shanti.”