Former Pakistani military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, who died on Sunday at the age of 79 in Dubai after a prolonged illness.
General Pervez Musharraf was a Pakistani military officer and politician who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of the federal government in 1999.
Born in Delhi, India, on August 11, 1943, in his family’s ancestral home, Nehar Wali Haveli. His family migrated to Pakistan when it separated from India in 1947 and settled in Karachi.
Former Military Ruler joined Pakistan’s Military Academy in 1961. He was chosen by then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the brother of Pakistan’s current prime minister, as the army chief in 1998. He seized power and toppled Sharif’s government a year later, citing the deteriorating political and economic conditions in Pakistan.
He subsequently placed Sharif under strict house arrest before launching official criminal proceedings against him. Musharraf initially remained the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the Chief of Army Staff, relinquishing the former position upon confirmation of his presidency. However, he remained the Army Chief until retiring in 2007.
Musharraf was credited with attracting foreign investment to Pakistan, which saw the strongest economic growth in nearly 30 years during his rule, and he enjoyed the support of the military and Pakistanis who backed his crackdown against militant groups.
In February 2008, Musharraf’s ruling party lost general elections. A few months later, facing impeachment by lawmakers and the newly elected government, Musharraf announced he would resign as president and fled the country, living in London and Dubai. While in exile, he set up his own political party, and flew back Pakistan in 2013 to contest general elections but was disqualified immediately.
In 2019, 20 years after his rise to power Musharraf, in absentia, was sentenced to death for the treason charges, although the death sentence was later annulled by the Lahore High Court.
According to the wishes of Musharraf’s family, The body of former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf has been brought to the southern city of Karachi for burial.
