Former dictator Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf laid to rest in Karachi

Former dictator General (retired) Pervez Musharraf was laid to rest in Karachi’s Malir Cantonment area on Tuesday with full military honors.

Amidst high security, his funeral prayers was offered at the Gul Muhar Polo Ground in Malir Cantt with senior military officers, including serving and retired, in attendance.

The military’s media wing, the Inter Services Public Relations said that Chairman Join Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad and other senior officers of the tri-services.

Several politicians and other dignitaries also participated in his funeral prayers.

The high security measures were put in place in anticipation of any potential security threats, given Musharraf’s legacy. Despite this, the funeral proceedings took place smoothly.

Retired army chief General (retired) Ashfaque Parvez Kiyani also attended the funeral prayers.

Pervez Musharraf served as the President of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008 while his passing elicited a range of emotions and opinions, with many remembering his contributions to the nation while others criticizing his policies.

Legacy of Pervez Musharraf

Musharraf seized power in 1999 in a bloodless coup after the then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif tried to dismiss him as army chief, having appointed him above more senior officers a year earlier.

In more than seven years in office, he oversaw a stint of economic growth while dodging at least three assassination attempts.

Musharraf won a five-year term as president in a 2002 referendum, but reneged on promises to quit as army chief until late 2007.

His easygoing charm also failed to mask the blurring of the division between the state and army, and he fell out of favo after trying to sack the chief justice.

After the December 2007 assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, the national mood soured even more and crushing losses suffered by his allies in 2008 elections left him isolated.

Musharraf’s plan to return to power in 2013 was dashed when he was disqualified from running in an election won by Nawaz Sharif – the man he deposed in 1999.

In 2016 a travel ban was lifted and Musharraf flew to Dubai to seek medical treatment.

Three years later, he was sentenced to death in absentia for treason, related to his 2007 decision to impose emergency rule. However, a court later nullified the ruling.

Meanwhile, Musharraf’s mother is reported to be resting comfortably in Dubai while his father was laid to rest in Karachi.