Asia-Pacific

Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf (79) dies

Ex-military leader was in Dubai hospital following prolonged illness and years in exile

Pakistan's former president Pervez Musharraf has died in Dubai aged 79. File photograph: AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images

Sun Feb 5 2023 - 07:33

Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf died on Sunday following a prolonged illness at a hospital in Dubai, after years in self-imposed exile.

Pakistan’s military and the country’s mission in the United Arab Emirates announced the death of the former army chief (79) who was pushed from power in 2008.

“I can confirm that he passed away this morning,” Shazia Siraj, spokesperson for Pakistan’s consulate in Dubai and embassy in Abu Dhabi, told Reuters.

The chiefs of Pakistan’s army, navy and air force expressed condolences on his death, the public relations wing of the military said.

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The former four-star general, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, oversaw rapid economic growth and attempted to usher in socially liberal values in the conservative Muslim country.

Gen Musharraf enjoyed strong support for many years, his greatest threat being al-Qaeda and other militant Islamists who tried to kill him at least three times.

But his heavy-handed use of the military to quell dissent as well as his continued backing of the United States in its fight against al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban ultimately led to his downfall.

Gen Musharraf was allowed abroad for medical treatment even as he faced a treason case in Pakistan and last flew to Dubai in 2016.

His family announced last June that he had been in hospital for weeks while suffering from amyloidosis, an incurable condition that sees proteins build up in the body’s organs.

“I have confronted death and defied it several times in the past because destiny and fate have always smiled on me,” Gen Musharraf once wrote. “I only pray that I have more than the proverbial nine lives of a cat.” – Agencies

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