India’s first NSA Brajesh Mishra to be cremated Monday
29 Sep 2012
The last rites of Brajesh Mishra, the country's first National Security Advisor, will be held on Monday. His body will be cremated at the Lodhi Road Crematorium at 11 am on Monday.
Mishra, who would have turned 84 today, died following a heart ailment. He had asked his domestic help to bring his dinner, but was found in an unconscious condition. His security guards were summoned and he was rushed to the Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi at around 9.50 pm on Friday night, but was declared brought dead.
He was suffering from coronary artery problem for some time.
A career diplomat, Mishra was the principal secretary to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee before being appointed the NSA. He had earlier retired as secretary in the external affairs ministry after having served as India's permanent representative to the United Nations.
He is said to have assisted Vajpayee materially during the Kargil conflict with Pakistan in 1999.
After the fall of the NDA government in 2004 and the fading away of Vajpayee from the political scene, Mishra distanced himself from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and often criticised its stand on various foreign policy issues.
