Pakistan Ex-President Pervez Musharraf Dies At 79
Pervez Musharraf, the exiled former military dictator of Pakistan, passed away on Sunday at the age of 79 following a protracted illness, according to the army.
When the 9/11 attacks on the United States occurred, Musharraf, who had seized power in a 1999 bloodless coup, was serving as Pakistan’s army leader, chief executive, and president.
After surviving multiple assassination attempts by terrorists, the general rose to the position of Washington’s top regional ally during their invasion of neighboring Afghanistan.
With regard to the influx of help associated with his choice to support the US, analyst Hasan Askari told AFP that Pakistan’s decision under Musharraf to join the fight against terrorism “turned out to be a boon.”
He will be remembered for being the leader of Pakistan during a very important period.
According to a brief statement issued by the military’s media department, senior military leaders “offer deepest condolences on the sad loss of General Pervez Musharraf.”
“May Allah provide peace to the soul of the deceased and courage to the bereaved family,”
According to news sources and a senior security official who talked to AFP, the four-star general passed away on Sunday morning at a hospital in Dubai.
I can confirm that the late general passed away this morning in Dubai… He is no longer there, the official told AFP, requesting anonymity.
During his nearly nine years in power, Musharraf presided over a period of economic expansion that was largely fueled by a considerable infusion of aid from Washington in exchange for its backing of the war on terror. However, the war swiftly spread into Pakistan’s border regions.
Musharraf lost favor after seeking to remove the chief justice and failing to rein in a collapsing economy. His laid-back demeanor also failed to conceal the blurring of the line separating the state and army.
In response to months-long protests over his attempt to remove the country’s chief judge, Musharraf twice suspended Pakistan’s constitution and instituted emergency rule. He is famous for claiming that the constitution “is merely a piece of paper to be tossed in the rubbish.”
Rights organizations have charged him with widespread violations, including collecting up thousands of political opponents and dissidents.
Benazir Bhutto, the head of the opposition, was assassinated in December 2007, which further soured the nation’s mood and made him an outcast when his supporters suffered humiliating defeats in the 2008 elections.
That same year, he gave his resignation and was sent into exile.
Ineffective Return Bid
When Nawaz Sharif, the candidate he overthrew in 1999, won the election, Musharraf’s plans to take back the presidency in 2013 were thwarted.
As a number of cases against him were brought before the courts, he was prosecuted in connection with the murder of Bhutto and put under house arrest.
After a travel ban was lifted in 2016, Musharraf traveled to Dubai for medical attention.
He was executed in absentia for treason three years later in relation to his 2007 decision to impose emergency rule.
The decision was later overturned by a court, though.
According to a statement from his office, Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi prayed “for eternal peace of the departed soul and courage to the bereaved family to endure this loss.”
