Mauritius to fly both Mauritian and Indian flag at half-mast as tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee

In a rare move, Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth announced a decision to fly both the Indian and Mauritian national flags at half-mast on Friday as a tribute to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The Mauritius PM said the flags would fly at half-mast from sunrise to sunset at government buildings in the country. He also made an appeal to the private sector to do the same.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PM Jugnauth conveyed his condolences and expressed sympathy. Evoking the former prime minister, PM Jugnauth called Vajpayee a "man who stood tall not only for India but also for Mauritius".

Taking to Twitter, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar called it an unprecedented gesture. He tweeted, "Joining us in our moment of grief! In an unprecedented gesture, the Government of #Mauritius has decided that both Indian and Mauritian flag will fly half-mast on government buildings today as a mark of respect following the sad demise of former PM Vajpayee."

He also tweeted a picture of the two flags flying at half-mast.

In another tweet, he also attached the condolence letter from PM Jugnauth. The PM said under Vajpayee the special relations between Mauritius and India were elevated to new heights/

Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth conveyed his condolences in a letter addressed to PM @narendramodi . pic.twitter.com/dUc03wdA1k — Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) August 17, 2018

Joining us in our moment of grief! In an unprecedented gesture, the Government of #Mauritius has decided that both Indian and Mauritian flag will fly half-mast on government buildings today as a mark of respect following the sad demise of former PM Vajpayee. pic.twitter.com/qn8ZA38tT2 — Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) August 17, 2018

Vajpayee passed away at the age of 93 at Delhi's AIIMS hospital.

The former leader, who was a recipient of Bharat Ratna, breathed his last after a prolonged illness. Vajpayee, who was the country's 10th Prime Minister, will be laid to rest at the Smriti Sthal on Friday evening.