NEW DELHI, Nov 15:
Former Defence Minister and veteran political leader K C Pant died here this morning of cardiac arrest.
He was 81.
Pant, who was also the former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, died at his residence here, his family said.
Defence Minister A K Antony while expressing profound grief at the death of Pant, said he would be fondly remembered for having steered the Defence Ministry at one of the most critical junctures of India’s history.
Pant was the Defence Minister from 1987 to 1989 when the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was deployed in Sri Lanka as a stepping stone to the tortuous journey for peace in the island nation.
During his tenure as the Defence Minister, Indian troops were also deployed at short notice in the Maldives to abort a coup attempt, in a clear manifestation of India’s commitment to promotion of peace and stability in South Asia.
Krishna Chandra Pant, son of noted freedom fighter and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Gobind Ballabh Pant, was born in 1931 in Nainital (Uttarakhand, then part of Uttar Pradesh).
He studied at St Joseph’s College, Nainital and did his Post Graduation in Science subjects from Lucknow University.
He later joined politics and became a member of the Indian National Congress.
He was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1962, then in 1967, 1971 and 1989.
He was also a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1978 and leader of the House during 1979-1980.
Besides defence, he held the portfolios of Finance, Steel and Heavy Engineering, Home, Electronics, Atomic Energy and Science and Technology.
He was the first Chairman of the Advisory Board on Energy and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission from 2000 to 2004.
Pant resigned from the Congress in 1998 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
His wife Ila Pant was also elected to the Lok Sabha and had joined the BJP six years before her husband. (UNI)
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