Pervez Musharraf, former president of Pakistan, dies in Dubai

Former Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf has died in Dubai after a prolonged illness, according to a statement from the Pakistani army. He was 79 years old.

In a note sent to CNN senior military officials expressed their “sincere condolences” on the “sadden death of General Pervez Musharraf”.

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

The former leader, who lived in self-imposed exile in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, seized power from former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a military coup in 1999 and appointed himself president in 2001, remaining head of the army. He continued to lead Pakistan as President until 2008.

His tenure was punctuated by two failed assassination attempts in 2003.

In November 2007, he declared a state of emergency, suspended Pakistan’s constitution, replaced the chief judge and blocked independent TV channels.

Musharraf said he did this to stabilize the country and fight rising Islamic extremism. The move drew sharp criticism from the United States and democracy advocates. Pakistanis openly called for his removal.

Under pressure from the West, Musharraf later lifted the state of emergency and called elections, held in February 2008, in which his party fared poorly.

He stepped down in August 2008 after the ruling coalition began taking steps to impeach him.

Musharraf then went into exile, but returned to Pakistan in 2013 with the aim of running in the country’s national elections. Instead, his plans were derailed when he became embroiled in a web of lawsuits related to his time in power.

In 2019, he was sentenced to death in absentia for high treason. The decision was later overturned.

Musharraf had lived in Dubai since March 2016, when Pakistan’s Supreme Court lifted a travel ban, allowing him to leave the country to seek medical treatment there.

He was married to Sehba Musharraf and had a son and a daughter.