Islamic
CNN
—
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf passed away in Dubai after a long illness at the Dubai American Hospital, according to a statement from the Pakistani military. He was 79 years old.
In a statement sent to CNN, senior military officials expressed “sincere condolences” for the “sad passing of General Pervez Musharraf.”
“May Allah bless the departed soul and give strength to the bereaved family,” the statement read.
Words of gratitude and condolences have poured in from Pakistani politicians.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed “consolation and sympathy to the family” of the former leader in a statement on Sunday.
The President of Pakistan’s Senate, Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, also expressed “deep grief and grief”, while the Tehreek-e-Insaf party, led by former prime minister Imran Khan, was ousted in the vote. vote of no confidence last year, said: “Our prayers and condolences go out to his family and we share their grief.”
The former leader, who has been living in self-imposed exile in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates since 2016, took power from former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif – Shehbaz Sharif’s brother – in a military coup in 1999 and appointed himself president in 2001, while remaining head of the army. He continued to lead Pakistan as president until 2008.
Musharraf became a key ally of the United States after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and he has managed to become an indispensable figure in the fight against Islamic extremism.
But his time in power was marred by controversy and he was accused of widespread human rights abuses and oppression.
His term was ended by two failed assassination attempts in 2003. In November 2007, he declared a state of emergency, suspended the Pakistani constitution, replaced the chief justice, and shut down independent television stations.
Musharraf said he did so to stabilize the country and combat rising Islamic extremism. The move drew harsh criticism from the United States and democracy advocates. Pakistanis openly called for his removal.
Under pressure from the West, Musharraf later lifted the state of emergency and called elections, held in February 2008, in which his party suffered a crushing defeat.
He resigned in August 2008 after the ruling coalition began taking steps to impeach him.
Musharraf later went into exile but returned to Pakistan in 2013 with the aim of running in the country’s national elections. Instead, his plans fall apart when he becomes entangled in a web of cases related to his time in power.
In 2019, he was sentenced to death in absentia for treason. The ruling was later overturned.
Musharraf has lived in Dubai since March 2016, when the Supreme Court of Pakistan lifted the travel ban, allowing him to leave the country for medical treatment there.
He was married to Sehba Musharraf and had a son and a daughter.
