Pervez Musharraf: Pakistan’s last military dictator and architect of the Kargil War

General (retired) Pervez Musharraf, the former President of Pakistan, passed away at a hospital in Dubai on Sunday (February 5) morning at the age of 79 following a prolonged illness. Speaking to the news agency Reuters, Shazia Siraj, spokesperson for Pakistan's consulate in Dubai and embassy in Abu Dhabi, said "I can confirm that he passed away this morning." Pakistan's military expressed condolences on his death.

ALSO READ | Pakistan’s former military ruler General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf dies in Dubai after long illness

Musharraf, who got elected as Pakistan's 10th president through a referendum in 2002 after a seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1999, attempted to usher in socially liberal values in the country and economic growth.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Here are 10 things to know about him:

1. 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.

2. Musharraf was 18 when he enlisted in the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA), passing out as an army officer. He went on to lead an elite commando unit before rising to become the country's army chief in 1998. He was the architect of the Kargil infiltration that brought India and Pakistan to war in 1999.

3. Pervez Musharraf had seized power by ousting then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who tried to sack him for greenlighting the operation to invade Indian-held areas of Kashmir. During his early years after grabbing power via a coup, Musharraf made some reformist efforts, pushing through legislation to protect the rights of women and allowing private news channels to operate for the first time, Reuters reported.

4. Less than three years after the Kargil war, Musharraf shocked the world during aregional summit in 2002when he suddenly moved towards then-Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to shake hands and offered to talk peace.

ALSO READ |Explosion at Pakistan’s Quetta leaves many injured, casualties feared

5. Musharraf 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.

6. According to World Bank data, under Musharraf's rule, foreign investment in Pakistan flourished and saw annual economic growth touched 7.5% — which remains the highest in nearly 30 years.

7. 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.

8. Also in 2007, opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated which led to nationwide violence. Reuters reported that Musharraf's efforts to strong-arm the judiciary led to protests and he postponed elections and declared a state of emergency in Pakistan.

9. 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.

10. 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.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.