Pervez Musharraf

Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani army general and politician who ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008, first as Chief Executive and then as President. He was born in Delhi, the son of a career diplomat, and rose through the ranks of the Pakistan Army to become Chief of the Army Staff in October 1998, appointed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Musharraf took power in the October 1999 coup d'état that followed the Kargil conflict and Sharif's attempt to dismiss him, and led the country until 2009. His government allied Pakistan with the United States after the September 11 attacks, liberalised the media, introduced local-government reforms, and oversaw a period of rapid economic growth. His rule also saw constitutional manipulation, curbs on the judiciary, enforced disappearances, and a growing insurgency in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province by Jihadist militants. His dismissal of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry in March 2007 and the state of emergency in November of that year eroded his support and led to his resignation in August 2008 to avoid impeachment.

In exile after 2008, Musharraf founded the All Pakistan Muslim League in 2010, which won no significant seats in later elections. He died in Dubai at age 79 after a prolonged illness. Assessments of his legacy are sharply divided; supporters credit him with economic stabilisation and social liberalisation, while critics highlight the erosion of democratic institutions and the human cost of the War on terror in Pakistan during his rule.