Former Nepalese PM cremated

KATHMANDU, Nepal, March 22 (UPI) -- Former Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, the Himalayan republic's senior statesman who died at age 87, was cremated Sunday.

Koirala, the former president of the Nepali Congress party credited with helping bring democracy to the former Hindu kingdom, was cremated with state honors at the Pashupati Aryaghat in Kathmandu, Nepalnews.com reported.

Sujata Koirala, his only daughter -- who currently holds the posts of deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs -- performed the rites on the banks of the of the sacred Bagmati River in the Nepalese capital.

The ceremonies were witnessed by thousands of people including political leaders, diplomats and government officials, other reports said.

Koirala worked to broker a peace deal that ended Nepal's decade-long civil war in 2008 and brought down the 240-year-old monarchy, allowing Nepal to emerge as a republic.

Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav said Koirala's death was a "huge loss" for the country, which was "passing through a historical transitional phase." Yadav said Koirala "led over a six-decade long movement for building a modern Nepal."

Condolence messages were received from several world leaders.

"As a friend of the United Nations and a staunch believer in its ideals and principles, Mr. Koirala will be remembered as a strong voice of multilateralism and global cooperation," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

S.M. Krishna, external affairs minister of India, who attended the funeral with other Indian leaders, said Koirala was "passionately committed to the cause of democracy and peace and friendship between our two countries," The Hindu reported.