I T IS FITTING that Manmohan Singh, who unshackled Indian trade and industry as the country’s finance minister in 1991, was the son of an importer. His father’s firm in Peshawar brought dry fruit and spices to India from Afghanistan.

The veteran leader, who was also credited for a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, died late Thursday at age 92.

India has mourned one of its longest-serving prime ministers, Manmohan Singh, with a state funeral in Delhi. Singh led the country from 2004 to 2014 and was considered the architect of India's economic liberalisation.