Former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf (2001-2008) died in Dubai, aged 79, following a prolonged illness, the army announced this Sunday.
Military officials “express sincere condolences on the death of General Pervez Musharraf,” according to a brief statement from the army’s press office.
“May Allah bless the soul of the deceased and give strength to the bereaved family,” he added.
Musharraf survived at least three al-Qaida assassination attempts
Musharraf, who was one of the allies of the United States in its “war against terrorism” after the September 11 attacks, came to power following a coup d’état in 1999, remaining at the head of Pakistan until 2008.
An admirer of Napoleon and Richard Nixon, he took office as President of the Republic in 2001, the year of the September 11 attacks.
Following these terrorist attacks, he aligned his country with Washington’s positions, thus presenting himself as a regional bulwark against Al-Qaida, whose leaders, allied with the Taliban, took refuge in the areas bordering Afghanistan.
Musharraf has survived at least three assassination attempts by Al-Qaida.
The economy boomed, the middle class expanded, the media became more liberal, and the army played the appeasement card with India during the nine years it was in power in Pakistan.
However, his opponents repeatedly denounced the way in which he dominated power, pointing to the “illegal” dismissal of Supreme Court judges, the imposition of a state of emergency, or the bloody attack, in the summer of 2007, on heavily armed Islamists who took shelter in Red Mosque in Islamabad.
Former elite commando, Pervez Musharraf, who was born in Delhi on August 11, 1943, four years before the separation of Pakistan, took over the command of the General Staff of the army when he overthrew the civilian government of Nawaz Sharif, in October 1999, in a bloodless coup.
Declared President in June 2001, before winning a controversial referendum in April 2002, he was Pakistan’s last military leader
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner– After graduating from NYU with a master's degree in history, She was also a columnist for many local newspapers. Amelia Warner mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.