Ex-Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf passes away at 79 in Dubai hospital

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf died at the age of 79 at a hospital in Dubai on Sunday, Pakistani outlet The News reported citing sources.

Musharraf was undergoing treatment for a prolonged sickness at American Hospital Dubai.

As per Daily Pakistan, his family members said that the former general succumbed to Amyloidosis, a rare disease that causes an increase in amyloid proteins in organs of the body. He was reportedly seeking treatment for the complications posed by the disease.

Musharraf was born on August 11, 1943. He served as the tenth president of Pakistan following the military coup of 1999.

Born in Delhi during the British colonial rule, the four-star general got commissioned from Pakistan Military Academy Kakul in 1961. In 1998, he was promoted to the rank of general and served as the chief of army staff (COAS).

Pervez Musharraf dies after battle with a rare disease

His health appeared to have deteriorated last year. In June 2022, his family revealed that he had been admitted to a hospital in the UAE after experiencing complications induced by his rare ailment of Amyloidosis.

His Twitter handle, which is operated by the Office of General Pervez Musharraf, shared a message from his family members, who had said that he had “been hospitalized for the last 3 weeks due to a complication of his ailment (Amyloidosis).  Going through a difficult stage where recovery is not possible and organs are malfunctioning. Pray for ease in his daily living.”

Condolences pour in

After the passing away of the former president’s death spread across Pakistan, messages of condolence started pouring in.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered condolences to Pervez Musharraf's family and prayed for the departed soul.

I offer my condolences to the family of General (rtd) Pervez Musharraf. May the departed soul rest in peace!

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz)

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Fawad Chaudhry also took to Twitter and prayed for the departed soul.

“Pervez Musharraf passed away. He was a great person, his friends proved to be small. Pakistan first was his thought and ideology always. May God have mercy on him,” Fawad Chaudhry wrote.