Shastri, Lal Bahadur (1904-1966)

Indian politician, prime minister 1964-66. He campaigned for national integration, and secured a declaration of peace with Pakistan at the Tashkent peace conference in 1966.

Before independence, he was imprisoned several times for civil disobedience. Because of his small stature, he was known as ‘the Sparrow’.

Adopting a firm stand against Pakistani attempts to capture Kashmir in 1965, he persuaded Pakistan's leader, Ayub Khan, to sign a declaration agreeing never to use force again, and died of a heart attack shortly after the agreement was signed.