Anwar lauded Manmohan, who died on Thursday, as a “true friend” for the kindness extended to him, saying even though he declined the offer at the time, the gesture showed Manmohan’s “extraordinary humanity and generosity”.

“He extended a kindness he didn’t have to – one that was neither politically expedient nor, as one can imagine, appreciated by the Malaysian government at that time,” he said in a Facebook post today.

“Yet, true to his character, he did it anyway. He offered scholarships for my children, particularly my son Ihsan.

“Such acts of quiet magnanimity defined him, and they will remain etched in my heart forever.”

Anwar also praised Manmohan as the “midwife of India’s emergence as one of the world’s economic giants” and “architect of India’s economic reforms”.

“I had the rare privilege of witnessing the early years of these transformative policies firsthand while we both served as finance ministers during the 1990s.

“The praise that will follow in the days ahead will be truly well-deserved,” he said.

Manmohan died at the age of 92 on Thursday evening at a hospital in New Delhi. He held office from 2004 to 2014.

India has announced seven days of state mourning following his death.