Pakistan to bring back Musharraf's mortal remains

ISLAMABAD: The family of former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf has contacted Pakistan embassy in Dubai for return of his mortal remains to Pakistan, ARY News reported on Sunday.

Pervez Musharraf has passed away in Dubai at the age of 79 after a prolonged illness, his family confirmed today.

An airplane in Pakistan will land in Dubai tomorrow to take back remains of former president Musharraf to Pakistan.

A special airplane from Noor Khan Airbase in will fly to Dubai’s Al-Maktoom airport tomorrow.

Pervez Musharraf had been undergoing treatment for an ailment at an American Hospital in Dubai.

He 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.

In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations expressed heartfelt condolences over the sad demise of former army chief. “May Allah bless the departed soul and give strength to bereaved family,” the military’s media wing said.

Born on August 11, 1943, in Delhi, British India, the former president’s family moved to Karachi in 1947.

Pervez Musharraf got his commission from the Pakistan Military Academy Kakul on April 19, 1961. He joined the Pakistan Army in 1964 and was a graduate of the Army Staff and Command College, Quetta.

Musharraf took over as the chief of army staff (COAS) in 1998. A year later on October 12, 1999, Gen (retd) Musharraf seized power in a coup after the then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif tried to dismiss him as army chief.

He served as the president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Musharraf resigned as the president on August 18, 2008, following an impeachment move in the parliament by the political parties.

The former military ruler left the country in March 2016 for Dubai to seek medical treatment and didn’t return to Pakistan since.