Remembering General Pervez Musharraf, Former Pakistani President and Army Chief
Pervez Musharraf, the former four-star Pakistani army general who governed the South Asian nation for nearly a decade after coming to power in a 1999 bloodless coup, has died at the age of 79.[0]
Musharraf was born in New Delhi in 1943 and moved to Karachi, Pakistan in 1947 with his family after the partition of India and Pakistan.[1] In 1964, he enlisted in the Pakistan Army, having graduated from the Army Staff and Command College in Quetta.[0]
In 1998, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif caused a shock to the military leadership when he chose Musharraf to become the chief of army staff, replacing General Jehangir Karamat who had been asked to resign due to a dispute concerning security policy.
On October 12, 1999, Musharraf forcibly removed and arrested Sharif in a coup, taking the position of chief executive, after Sharif denied Musharraf access to land his commercial plane in Karachi.[0]
In October of the same year, Sharif dismissed Musharraf upon his return from a trip to Sri Lanka.[2] Sharif's government was overthrown after the military leadership refused to obey his orders and staged a coup.[3]
Musharraf served as President of Pakistan from 1999 to 2008, before departing for London in a state of shame.[4] He rose to the rank of General and was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff on October 7, 1998, by then prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, then-President Musharraf of Pakistan chose to align with the United States and assist in the ousting of the Afghan Taliban, allies of al-Qaeda.[5] He also cracked down on Islamist groups and banned dozens of radical outfits, a move that angered radicals.[6]
He gained his initial experience in combat during the 1965 Indo-Pak War, and was a member of the prestigious Special Services Group (SSG) from 1966 to 1972.[7] In 1971, Musharraf was the company commander of a battalion of the Special Services Group (SSG) during the war with India.[7] From 1971 onward, his successes in the military led to him being promoted quickly through the ranks of the army.[7]
Musharraf, as the Pakistani Army's General, was responsible for the conception of the Kargil war, commanding the infiltration of Indian territory.[8] When the Prime Minister of Pakistan at the time, Nawaz Sharif, gave the order for the country's forces to retreat due to international pressure, it was clear to all that a coup was about to happen, since General Musharraf did not agree with Sharif.[4]
0. “Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf Dies In Dubai” Kashmir Observer, 5 Feb. 2023, https://kashmirobserver.net/2023/02/05/former-pakistan-president-pervez-musharraf-passes-away-in-dubai
1. “Pervez Musharraf: A soldier on many fronts” DW (English), 5 Feb. 2023, https://www.dw.com/en/pervez-musharraf-a-soldier-on-many-fronts/a-64614760
2. “Pervez Musharraf, military ruler of Pakistan who partnered with U.S. after 9/11, dies at 79” CBS News, 5 Feb. 2023, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pervez-musharraf-dies-age-79-pakistan-military-ruler
3. “Pervez Musharraf, Former Military Ruler of Pakistan, Dies at 79” Yahoo News, 5 Feb. 2023, https://news.yahoo.com/pervez-musharraf-former-military-ruler-063734326.html
4. “Don’t mock the dead, unless the dead person is someone like Pervez Musharraf, then all memes are fine” OpIndia, 5 Feb. 2023, https://www.opindia.com/2023/02/pervez-musharraf-dead-villain-india-pakistan/
5. “Pervez Musharraf: The Pakistani ex-president’s chequered legacy” Al Jazeera English, 5 Feb. 2023, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/5/obituary-pakistans-former-president-pervez-musharraf-dies
6. “Pakistan's former military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf dies in Dubai” Rediff.com, 5 Feb. 2023, https://www.rediff.com/news/report/pakistans-former-military-ruler-gen-pervez-musharraf-dies-in-dubai-reports/20230205.htm
7. “Profile: Musharraf — from military strongman to forgotten man of politics” DAWN.com, 5 Feb. 2023, https://www.dawn.com/news/1694796
8. “Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's ex-president, dies aged 79” BBC, 5 Feb. 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64528348
