Former millitary ruler Pervez Musharraf laid to rest in Karachi

Politicians, large number of serving and retired military officers attend funeral prayers at Malir Cantt

KARACHI:

Former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf was laid to rest on Tuesday with full military honours at the military cemetery near Kala Pul area of Karachi.

A funeral prayer was offered at Gul Muhar Polo Ground in Malir Cantt for the late president, attended by high-ranking military officials, including Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, former army chiefs General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and General (retd) Ashfaq Parvez Kiani, and former ISI chiefs Gen (retd) Shuja Pasha and Gen (retd) Zaheerul Islam.

The ceremony was also attended by a large number of serving and retired officers from the army, navy, and air force.

Political leaders from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, and other parties were also present, including Bilal Musharraf, son of the former president, MQM-P leaders Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Aminul Haque, Mustafa Kamal, Farogh Naseem, Dr Farooq Sattar, PTI leaders Fawad Chaudhry, and Imran Ismail, as well as former governor Moinuddin Haider.

The former military ruler passed away at 79 in Dubai on Sunday.

Read TIMELINE: Rise and fall of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf

Musharraf ruled Pakistan for nearly nine years, starting when then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif attempted to remove him as army chief, having appointed him above more senior officers a year earlier.

Earlier, a special aircraft carrying the mortal remains of Musharraf arrived from Dubai on Monday, landing at the Karachi airport's Terminal One.

His family arrived with the former general's remains.

The former president was suffering from amyloidosis, a rare disease caused by a build-up of an abnormal protein called amyloid in organs and tissues throughout the body, according to his family.

The build-up of amyloid proteins (deposits) can make it difficult for the organs and tissues to work properly.

The former ruler’s illness came to light in 2018 when the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), Musharraf’s party, announced that he was suffering from the rare disease.

Musharraf seized power in a 1999 bloodless coup and was acting simultaneously as Pakistan’s army chief, chief executive, and president when the 9/11 attacks on the US took place.

The general twice suspended the country's Constitution and was accused of rigging a referendum shoring up his power, as well as rampant rights abuses including rounding up opponents during his nearly nine-year rule.

Nonetheless, he became Washington’s chief regional ally during its invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan.

The decision -- made after the US issued a “for us or against us” ultimatum -- put him in the crosshairs of Islamist militants, who made several attempts on his life.

But it also earned Pakistan a huge influx of foreign aid which bolstered the economy.