Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma said the honour is a tribute to President Shri Pranab Mukherjee鈥檚 unmatched political career of over six decades
Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma has sent his congratulations to Shri Pranab Mukherjee on his assumption of office as President of India.
In a letter to the President, Mr Sharma said that the honour was a tribute to Mr Mukherjee鈥檚 unmatched political career of over six decades, during which he has made 鈥渁n indelible mark in the hearts and minds of the people of India as a parliamentarian and leader鈥.
| : India was one of the first countries to become a member of the modern Commonwealth following the London Declaration of 1949, where a conference of Commonwealth Prime Ministers accepted and recognised India's continued membership as a republic, paving the way for other newly independent countries to join. |
鈥淚n these long years of untiring public service, including numerous ministerial tenures, you have been an integral part of the development, and indeed the steering, of modern India鈥檚 remarkable growth story,鈥 Mr Sharma said.
鈥淚ndia is a valued member of the Commonwealth, and is an exemplar of the core Commonwealth values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and civil rights.鈥
Mr Sharma added that under President Mukherjee鈥檚 leadership and counsel, he looked forward to a further deepening of India鈥檚 participation in and contribution to 鈥渢his unique family of nations鈥 鈥 the Commonwealth.
