Chandigarh, Sep 6 - Former Punjab chief minister Harcharan Singh Brar passed away here Sunday after prolonged illness. He was 86.

Brar was admitted to the Post-graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here for the last few days.

An agriculturist by profession, Brar, a known Congress leader in Punjab, was chief minister of Punjab from August 1995 till January 1996.

Brar also served as governor of Orissa and Haryana.

His son, Kanwarjit Singh Brar, is a legislator from Muktsar assembly constituency.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal expressed grief at the death of Brar.