Former Nepal PM Girija Prasad Koirala dies at 87

Former NepalPrime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala died today at the age of 87. His condition had deteriorated in the morning after a bout of diarrhea, three days after he was discharged from a city hospital in Kathmandu.

Koirala was the President of the Nepali Congress which is a key constituent of the ruling coalition, and had been “unconscious since this morning,” said Chiranjivi Nepal, an advisor to Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala, daughter of the veteran politician.

Koirala had been on ventilator round-the-clock and a team of doctors were attending to him at Sujata’s house in Mandikhatar area.

The veteran leader had a low hemoglobin level and was suffering from bronchitis and lungs problem.

Koirala was discharged on Wednesday from the Marty Ganga Lal Heart Centre at Bansbari in Kathmandu on Wednesday and since then he had been staying at his daughter´s house.

His condition worsened following a bout of diarrhea on Friday morning.

Top leaders of major political parties, including Maoist chairman Prachanda and CPN-UML’s Jhalanath Khanal, visited Sujata’s residence to enquire about Koirala’s health.

Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress has called an emergency meeting of the party’s Central Working Committee to discuss the situation in the wake of Koirala’s death.

The party also asked its senior leaders, who are outside Kathmandu, to return to the capital at the earliest.

Five-time Prime Minister Koirala had been instrumental in leading the peace process and bringing the Maoists to mainstream politics, ending a decade-long armed conflict that claimed 16,000 lives.

Koirala also played a crucial role in turning Nepalinto a Republic through abolition of 240-year-old monarchy two years ago. - (Press trust of India)