Former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf passes away in Dubai aged 79

Pervez Musharraf, the former President of Pakistan, passed away at the age of 79 in Dubai.

Pervez Musharraf, the former President of Pakistan passed away today, Sunday, February 5. He reportedly died in a hospital in Dubai, aged 79. According to Geo News, his family informed them that had been suffering from a prolonged illness known as amyloidosis, which is a rare organ disease.

The four-star general seized control of the Asian country after a military coup in 1999. Musharraf had been living in Dubai since his self-imposed exile in 2016. His family filed an application with the Pakistani consulate in Dubai to enable his body to be flown back to Pakistan on Monday for burial added the news outlet.

Following the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the Twin Towers in New York, Musharraf played a huge role in battling al Qaeda alongside the US.

Pakistan’s current Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, tweeted: “I offer my condolences to the family of General Pervez Musharraf. May the departed soul rest in peace”. Sharif was among those arrested during the deceased leader’s rule which lasted around 10 years.

During his rule, Pakistan enjoyed the strongest economic growth for 30 years. His crackdown on militant groups received widespread support from both the military and the public. Musharraf gained huge respect for attracting foreign investment in his country.

At one point, Musharraf suspended the country’s constitution and censored the media during a period of almost six weeks when Pakistan found itself under a ‘state of emergency’.

Shuja Nawaz, a fellow at the US think-tank Atlantic Council and the author of several books on Pakistan’s military commented: “He failed to build on his early popularity to effect sustainable economic and political reforms and became a captive of military power and vested interests”.

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