Modi condoles Kulsoom Nawaz's death

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the death of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, saying he would always cherish the memories of his interaction with the wife of Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, according to a media report.

Kulsoom died Tuesday in London after a long battle with cancer. She was 68.

"It is with profound grief that I learnt of the sad demise of Begum Sahiba," Modi wrote in a letter to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Sharif, a copy of which was displayed by Geo News.

Modi on Tuesday conveyed his deepest condolences to the Sharif family.

"I pray to the Almighty to grant eternal peace to Begum Sahiba and strength to you and the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss," the letter read further.

"I would always cherish memories of my interaction with her," Modi said in the condolence message, apparently referring to his unannounced visit to Lahore in 2015 on Sharif's birthday and his granddaughter's wedding.

Kulsoom was diagnosed with lymphoma last year, barely a month after Nawaz was removed from office by the Supreme Court, which ordered him to face trial in an anti-corruption court.

She will be laid to rest on Friday. The funeral prayers will be offered at the Regent Park mosque in London on Thursday and her body will be flown to Lahore after completion of legal formalities.