Islamabad, Pakistan

Mortal remains of former Pakistan President General Retd Pervez Musharraf were brought to Karachi, Pakistan, in a UAE jet. His last rites will be held on Tuesday, 7 February at 1:45 PM PKT in Karachi. The jet landed at 9:52 PM Pakistan Standard Time on 7 February. 

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Former military ruler of Pakistan, Musharraf was an architect of the Kargil War in 1999 and Pakistan's last military ruler. He died on Sunday in Dubai after a prolonged illness. 

The 79-year-old retired general, who had been living in self-exile in the UAE since 2016, was receiving treatment at American Hospital Dubai for amyloidosis.  According to reports, Musharraf's wife Saba, son Bilal, daughter, and other close relatives arrived with the body aboard the particular Airbus 319 of Malta aviation, which had been organised by the UAE government.

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Musharraf was born on August 11, 1943, in New Delhi, India. He was four years old when his parents joined the mass exodus to the newly created state of Pakistan. Musharraf's father served in Pakistan's foreign ministry while his mother was a teacher.  

He became one of the important allies of the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks. He allowed American security forces to operate armed drones from secret bases on Pakistani soil which killed thousands and ordered domestic troops into the country’s lawless tribal areas along the Afghanistan frontier. This helped legitimise Musharraf's rule overseas but also plunged Islamabad into a war against local extremist militant groups.

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Musharraf, who got elected as Pakistan's 10th president through a referendum in 2002 after seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1999, attempted to usher in socially liberal values in the country and economic growth. The later years of Musharraf's presidency were overshadowed, by his increasingly authoritarian rule. In 2006, Musharraf ordered military action that killed a tribal head from the province of Balochistan.

In 2007, over 100 students who called for the imposition of Sharia law were killed after Musharraf shunned negotiations and ordered troops to storm a mosque in Islamabad. This led to the birth of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which has since killed tens of thousands of civilians. In 2008, when Pakistan's first democratic elections in 11 years were held, Musharraf's party – Pakistan Muslim League (Q) lost and he resigned from the presidency as he faced impeachment by parliament and fled to London.

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He came back to Pakistan in 2013 to run for a seat in Parliament but was immediately disqualified. He was allowed to leave for Dubai in 2016.

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