Inder K. Gujral, former Indian leader, dies at 92

NEW DELHI -- Former Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral, who gave a new impetus to improving India's relations with its neighbors during a term in office that lasted less than a year, died Friday after a yearlong illness. He was 92.

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said Gujral died in a hospital near New Delhi, where he was admitted 10 days ago with a lung infection.

Gujral joined India's freedom movement in the early 1940s and became India's 12th prime minister when he headed a shaky coalition government in 1997.

Although he held the office only 11 months, Gujral made a mark in India's foreign relations by promoting friendly ties with its neighbors, including archrival Pakistan. -- AP