Human Interest

Former Pakistani military dictator Musharraf dies at 79

Islamabad, Feb 5 (EFE).- Former Pakistani military dictator Pervez Musharraf, who ruled the nuclear-power for nearly a decade, died in Dubai on Sunday after suffering from a rare disease for several years, his family and official sources informed.

The general “died today at the American hospital in Dubai at the age of 79. He was suffering from a rare disease,” Muhammed Amjad, the former chairman of Musharraf’s political party All Pakistan Muslim League, told EFE.

Musharraf was being treated for Amyloidosis, a disease that builds up protein around important organs, which alters the functioning of the tissues, leading to organ dysfunction.

His family had said in June 2022 that the leader was going through a difficult period where recovery was impossible and his organs were not functioning properly.

The media wing of the Pakistani military, Inter-Services Public Relations, released a statement expressing “heartfelt condolences on sad demise of General Pervez Musharraf, Former President, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, and Chief of Army Staff.”

“May Allah bless the departed soul and give strength to bereaved family,” it added.

In a brief statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also offered his condolences to the family.

Although some Pakistani news broadcasters have reported that Musharraf’s body will be flown in from Dubai in a special flight on Monday to be buried in Pakistan, Amjad said the general’s family would take a final decision in this regard.

He said that since the leader’s mother was buried in Dubai, the family might decide to carry out the final ritual there.

Musharraf, who was facing several court cases against him in Pakistan, had been in Dubai since 2016, having traveled their for treatment after promising to return and face the charges but subsequently refusing to come back.

Musharraf rose to power through a coup in 1999 and ruled the nuclear giant until 2008, when he was convicted by a special court of treason, for imposing a state of emergency and ordering the arrest of dozens of judges.

Although the court sentenced the former dictator to death in 2019 – marking the first time in the country’s seven-decade long history that a military dictator was handed the death penalty – the decision was revoked by the Lahore High Court a year later.

Pakistan has been governed by four military dictators and has witnessed three coups since 1947, with the first one taking place in 1958 and the last in 1999. EFE

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