Pervez Musharraf, the dictator of Pakistan, ally of the United States in the war against Al Qaeda, has died

The former president pervez musharrafPakistan’s last military leader and US ally in the fight against Al Qaeda, died on Sunday in Dubai, aged 79, after battling a long illness, the Pakistani military said.

The four-star general came to power in a coup in 1999 and ruled the country until 2008.

Musharraf, initially perceived as a moderate, has established himself as the main regional ally of the United States in the fight against Al Qaeda after the attacks of September 11, 2001. And he escaped at least three assassination attempts by the terrorist organization.

Pakistan has also paid the piper in its neighboring Afghanistan, which served as a haven for al-Qaeda leaders under the early Taliban regime.

The Pakistani government received a message from then-President George W. Bush’s government that “you’re either with us or against us,” said Musharraf, who on becoming a U.S. ally at the forefront of battle.

Pakistan’s current president, Arif Alvi, prayed on Sunday “for the eternal repose of the soul of the deceased and for the bereaved family to receive the necessary courage to bear this loss,” his office said in a statement.

The senior military commanders “express their sincere condolences on the death of General Pervez Musharraf,” the army press service said. “May Allah bless the soul of the deceased and give strength to the grieving family,” the statement read.

The former head of state, who he was forced to resign due to the threat of impeachment proceedingspassed away on Sunday morning, according to media reports and a senior security official.

Musharraf’s Pakistan

During Musharraf’s nine-year rule, Pakistan has shown signs of development, with annual economic growth of 7.5%, still the highest level in nearly three decades, according to World Bank data.

Furthermore, the media has been liberalized and the army has played the appeasement card against its rival India.

“Under Musharraf, Pakistan’s decision to join the ‘war on terror’ has proved to be a blessing,” analyst Hasan Askari said, referring to the influx of international aid the country has received as a result.

“He will be remembered as someone who led Pakistan at a very critical time,” Askari told AFP.

Death sentence

Pervez Musharraf, Commander-in-Chief of the Army, led a coup in 1999 against Nawaz Sharif, who wanted to oust him after appointing him army chief a year earlier instead of higher-ranking officers.

Musharraf officially became the president of Pakistan on 20 June 2001 until his resignation on 18 August 2008.

Musharraf won a five-year term as president in a 2002 referendum, but broken his promises to leave Army headquarters in late 2007.

In December 2007, following the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and crushing defeats by her allies in the 2008 elections, Musharraf was completely isolated, with no choice but to resign.

Musharraf’s plan to return to power in 2013 was cut short when he was barred from running in the election won by Nawaz Sharif, the man he ousted in 1999.

In 2016, Musharraf traveled to Dubai to receive medical treatment amyloidosis, a rare disease Attacks vital organs.

Three years later he was sentenced to death in absentia for treason for having declared a state of emergency in 2007.

However, a court later overturned the ruling.

Source: EFE and AFP

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