Thousands mourn Nepal's former prime minister

Reuters

FAREWELL: Nepali Congress politicians and leaders watch the funeral pyre burn with Girija Prasad Koirala's body at Pashupati Nath Temple in Kathmandu.

Reuters

NOT FORGOTTEN: Former Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala died on Saturday of a chest infection. He was 86.

Relevant offers

Asia

Possible bomb link in Thai, India attacks Charges allege plot to kill Pakistan's Musharraf Angkor Wat's Kiwi cash crop Mystery over Saudi tweeter's NZ bid Pakistan releases US man after 'bullets found in baggage' Man loses leg in grenade clash with Thai police Iran's web blocked temporarily - experts China issues rules to limit foreign TV shows Japan's nuclear evacuees still not allowed home Bali bombing accused on trial

Nepal cremated former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Sunday in a Hindu funeral as tens of thousands of mourners thronged the streets of the capital Kathmandu.

A key player in Nepal's transition from centuries-old monarchy to secular republic, Koirala died of a chest infection at the age of 86 at his daughter's home in Kathmandu on Saturday.

The six-time premier helped begin landmark peace talks with the former Maoist rebels in 2006 to end a decade-long civil war which killed more than 13,000 people. The Maoists called the death an "irreparable loss" to the peace process.

"He was a strong politician who was able to manage the country through difficult days of transition," said Raju Shrestha, who sells curios in the capital. "The country will feel his absence for some time to come."

Nepal, home to 28 million people, has been in political turmoil and the peace process has stalled since the Maoists quit the government last year in a row with the president over plans to sack the army chief.

Thousands of Maoist guerrillas are still confined to UN monitored camps after the peace deal and have not been integrated into the army. The Himalayan republic suffers from acute goods and power shortages.

Koirala's death "is a serious jolt to the peace process," English daily Kathmandu Post said in a special front page editorial, though analysts have said the process is unlikely to break down entirely.

Koirala's body was cremated on the banks of the holy Bagmati river near the famous Hindu shrine of Lord Pashupatinath.

Thousands of people, many carrying flower bouquets and Buddhist prayer scarves, lined up in the sun for hours to pay their respects. Many carried placards with Koirala's pictures.

Koirala, head of the centrist Nepali Congress party, became the first democratically elected prime minister in 1991, after pro-democracy protests ended absolute monarchy.

Giant rivals India and China compete for influence in the Himalayan nation, with New Delhi keeping a close eye on warming Sino-Nepalese ties.

Koirala spent several years in India and had close contacts with Indian leaders. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a statement praised Koirala's "enlightened vision of India-Nepal relations."

- Reuters