India’s former president dies after testing positive for COVID-19 

Former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, who had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month, died on Monday after weeks in hospital, the current president’s office said.

Extending his condolences, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Monday night it “is with profound sadness and deep sorrow that I learned of the passing away of Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, the former President of and a towering politician of India.”

Ghani said Mukherjee had delivered immense services to India and for the prosperity of the Indians. 

“I am confident the great nation of India will always remember his remarkable achievements and endeavors,” Ghani said on Twitter. 

“On behalf the government and people of Afghanistan, I share the profound pain of the Indian people and convey my deepest sympathies to the Indian President and Prime Minister and the family of Late Pranab Mukherjee.”

Mukherjee, a veteran politician, served as foreign and finance minister in previous administrations and was India’s 13th president from 2012 until 2017.

According to the president’s office, Mukherjee had been in a deep coma and on ventilator support after coming down with a lung infection.

“His demise is passing of an era,” the office of President Ram Nath Kovind said.

Mukherjee had tested positive for COVID-19 on August 10 and had been hospitalized since.