Pervez Musharraf Passed Away on Sunday: A Military Strongman And Now a Forgotten Political Figure

On Sunday, the former president who was also the head of the army passed away.

Pervez Musharraf, a former president and head of the army, passed away on Sunday after a protracted fight with the rare illness amyloidosis. He was 79.

In 2001, Musharraf was elected as Pakistan's 10th president, a position he held until the beginning of 2008. During that time, he oversaw the army for nearly nine years (1999–2008).

On August 11, 1943, he was born in pre-Partition Delhi. His family relocated to Karachi following the partition, and he attended Saint Patrick's School there. Later, he enrolled in the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul, where he eventually earned his degree in 1964. He afterwards received a commission in the Pakistani army.

His first combat experience occurred in the 1965 Indo-Pak War, and from 1966 to 1972, he was a member of the prestigious Special Services Group (SSG). Musharraf served as the company commander of an SSG commando battalion during the war with India in 1971. He proceeded to do exceptionally well in a number of military positions after 1971 and was quickly promoted within the army.

He was chosen as the chief of army staff by the then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif in October 1998. After overthrowing Sharif's administration in a bloodless coup a year later, he went on to become the president of the nation.

The Coup in 1999

On October 12, 1999, troops occupied the Prime Minister's House after Sharif forbade Musharraf from returning from Sri Lanka and attempting to arrive at Karachi's airport.

When he learned, Musharraf proclaimed a state of emergency, suspended the Constitution, and took over as president. In Pakistan, there were no organized demonstrations against the coup, but the move was roundly condemned by the world community. Musharraf took office as Pakistan's president in June 2001.

The Problem of The President

Only a few months have passed after Musharraf's election as president before the 9/11 attacks. After that, he convinced Pakistan to join the US in the latter's "war on terror," a move that the former military dictator has supported on numerous times.

In the general election that Musharraf called in October 2002, he teamed up with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, a coalition of six Islamic groups. With the support of this election, Musharraf was able to secure the two-thirds majority needed to pass the 17th Amendment, which served to legitimize the 1999 coup and many other policies he put in place.

In a procedure that was contested by his political rivals, Musharraf was proclaimed elected after winning a confidence vote by both chambers of the parliament and the four provincial assembly by a margin of 56% in January 2004.

In the Line of Fire, Musharraf's Autobiography, was Released in 2006.

Musharraf removed Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the chief justice at the time, in March 2007 after he refused to step down amid allegations of abuse of power. The episode sparked violent protests by legal professionals and members of the civil society, and Musharraf's handling of the situation hurt his standing. The Supreme Court overturned Musharraf's decision to suspend the chief justice on June 20, 2007, and reinstated him.

But on November 3, 2007, when Musharraf declared a state of emergency in the nation, the chief justice was once more removed. General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani succeeded Musharraf as army leader within 25 days after the declaration of the emergency. On December 15, 2007, the emergency was ultimately abolished by Musharraf, who was still in office at the time.

Leaving Before a Possible Impeachment

The PPP-led coalition government at the center, which was established following the 2008 general elections, started a parliamentary process to impeach Musharraf after providing him the chance to peacefully resign. At first, Musharraf resisted leaving his position, and the coalition launched formal steps to have him removed. He resigned voluntarily before the impeachment could be resolved.

Musharraf was also named in the proceedings involving the murders of Benazir Bhutto, Nawab Akbar Bugti, and the 'illegal imprisonment' of 62 judges following the declaration of the emergency in November 2007. However, the Sindh High Court granted him protective bail in each of the three cases in March 2013.

Musharraf established the All Pakistan Muslim League as his political organization in 2010. (APML).

Health Problems And Self-exile

On April 5, 2013, Musharraf's name was added to the Exit Control List (ECL), which prohibited him from leaving the country. But the interior ministry removed the ex-name president's from the ECL, and on March 17, 2016, he travelled to Dubai to "seek medical treatment," never to return.

It was discovered in September 2018 that he was "getting weaker rapidly" as a result of an unidentified ailment. It was discovered a month later that he had amyloidosis, which had limited his movement. He experienced a response in March 2019 and required hospitalization.

Six years after the trial began, on December 17, 2019, a special court sentenced Musharraf to death in the high treason case. The PML-N government brought the lawsuit against Musharraf for suspending the Constitution on November 3, 2007, when he declared a national emergency.

A month later, the Lahore High Court overturned the trial court's decision to sentence Musharraf to death by declaring all actions taken by the previous administration against him to be unconstitutional, including the filing of a high treason complaint and the creation of a special court and its proceedings.
For further reference you can check here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pervez_Musharraf
https://www.dawn.com/news/1735746/all-set-for-musharrafs-burial-today