Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim pays heartfelt tribute to India's Manmohan Singh

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has expressed deep sorrow at the passing of former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh, calling him a cherished friend and an exceptional statesman.

In a statement reflecting personal loss and profound respect on Friday, Anwar highlighted Singh's pivotal role as the architect of India's economic reforms and his instrumental leadership in positioning India as a global economic powerhouse.

"I had the rare privilege of witnessing the early years of these transformative policies first-hand while we both served as finance ministers during the 1990s," Anwar said, underscoring their shared commitment to battling corruption.

Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India's economic reform programme and a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, died on Thursday. He was 92.

The first Sikh in office, Singh, was being treated for age-related medical conditions and died after he was brought to hospital in New Delhi after a sudden loss of consciousness.

Revealing a lesser-known aspect of their bond, Anwar disclosed a personal act of generosity by Singh during his incarceration in Malaysia.

Despite political risks, Singh offered scholarships for Anwar's children, including his son Ihsan. Though Anwar declined, he described the gesture as a testament to Singh's "extraordinary humanity and generosity".

Anwar remembered Singh as a statesman of integrity, slightly awkward as a politician but unwavering in his principles. "Such acts of quiet magnanimity defined him, and they will remain etched in my heart forever," he said.

The tribute concluded with a poignant farewell: "Goodbye, my mitra, my bhai, Manmohan."

Singh's legacy as an economist and leader will continue to inspire generations, Anwar said.

Born into a poor family in a part of British-ruled India now in Pakistan, Singh studied by candlelight to win a place at the University of Cambridge before heading to Oxford, earning a doctorate with a thesis on the role of exports and free trade in India's economy.

He became a respected economist, then India's central bank governor and a government advisor but had no apparent plans for a political career when he was suddenly tapped to become finance minister in 1991.

During that tenure to 1996, Singh was the architect of reforms that saved India's economy from a severe balance of payments crisis, and promoted deregulation and other measures that opened an insular country to the world.