Pakistan’s former president and army chief General (retired) Pervez Musharraf was laid to rest at an army graveyard in Karachi with full military honours on Tuesday (February 7). Musharraf’s funeral was held at the Malir Cantonment’s Polo Ground which was attended by thousands of mourners including his family, relatives, senior Pakistani politicians retired and serving military officials including former army chiefs Qamar Javed Bajwa and Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani.
According to a report by the news agency Associated Press, his coffin was draped in the national flag as a sign of respect, though the ceremony was not a state funeral.
Speaking to reporters, Lieutenant General (retired) Moinuddin Haider said on Tuesday that Musharraf had always put the interests of Pakistan first, and he even put his life at risk by waging a war against militancy.
A day earlier, a special plane transported Musharraf’s body from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he died last Sunday (February 5) at the age of 79 following a prolonged illness. Before leaving for Pakistan, his body was given Ghusl (ritual washing and shrouding ahead of burial) in Dubai itself, news agency IANS reported on Tuesday.
Pervez Musharraf was elected as Pakistan’s 10th president through a referendum in 2002 after seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1999. He was the architect of the Kargil war in 1999.
He made Pakistan a key ally of the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Under his rule, foreign investment in Pakistan flourished and saw annual economic growth touched 7.5% — which remains the highest in nearly three decades.
Musharraf lost his grip on power in 2008 during the general election as his party- the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) lost. Asif Ali Zardari from the Pakistan People’s Party, who won the election and became president, forced the former army chief to resign. The new government instigated a case against Musharraf but he was allowed to leave Pakistan on a bail to travel to Dubai in 2016 for medical treatment while proceedings were underway.
He remained in Dubai after being sentenced to death for treason (Pakistan) in 2019, although the death penalty was later overturned by another court.
(With inputs from agencies)
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