It was with great sadness that I learned that former president General Pervez Musharraf, who was 79 years old, passed away on Sunday after suffering a prolonged illness.
At the American Hospital Dubai, the former president was receiving treatment for amyloidosis, a rare disease.
Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, offered his condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the family of the late former president. The Prime Minister issued a statement on behalf of the office of the Prime Minister in which he prayed for the forgiveness of the deceased as well as the patience of the family.
Earlier this week, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced that Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and all the chiefs of the armed forces expressed their deepest condolences.
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ISPR said that it prayed for Allah to bless the soul of the departed and give strength to the family in their time of sorrow.
Musharraf was born on August 11, 1943, in Delhi, British India, and was the son of a farmer. The Pakistan Military Academy Kakul granted him a commission on April 19, 1961, after he had graduated from the academy. The wars of 1965 and 1971 were also fought by him.
A general, he became the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) in 1998, a position he held until 2007 when he was promoted to the rank of general. It was on October 12, 1999, that he seized power through a coup by the military. A referendum in 2002 elected him as the president of the republic and he remained in office until 2008.
