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Pervez Musharraf (born August 11, 1943, Delhi) became ruler (head of state/chief executive) of Pakistan on October 12, 1999 following a bloodless coup d'état. He
assumed the office of President of Pakistan on June 20, 2001.
In order to legitimize and legalize his rule, he held a referendum on
April 30, 2002 thereby elected as President
of Pakistan for duration of five years. In accordance with the deal with MMA (Muttahida
Majlis-e-Amal), he agreed to leave the army on December 31, 2004 but will continue to serve his term as President as he got vote of confidence on January 1, 2004, from the Parliament and the four provincial assemblies under the provision of the 17th Amendment duly passed by the National
Assembly and the Senate.
Musharraf was born in India but moved with his parents to Karachi, Pakistan during the partition of India (1947). He spent some of his early years
in Turkey, from 1949 to 1956, owing to his father’s deputation in Ankara. He can
converse fluently in the Turkish language and claims that Karnal Ataturk is his hero. On
returning to Pakistan in 1956, he received his education from St. Patrick's
high school, Karachi and then from F. C. College, Lahore.
Musharraf got married in 1968 and has two children, a son and a daughter. He loves to
spend most of his spare time playing squash, badminton or golf. He also takes keen interest in water sports and has been an enthusiastic canoeist. He likes to read about military history.
Military Career
In 1961, he joined the Pakistan Military
Academy and was commissioned in artillery regiment in 1964. He fought the 1965
war with India as a young officer and was awarded Imtiazi Sanad for gallantry. He also achieved the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (military) and the Tamgha-i-Basalat. He has also been on the faculty of the Command and Staff
College, Quetta and the war wing of the National Defence
College. He volunteered to be a commando, and remained in the Special Services
Group for seven years. He also participated in the Indo-Pak War of 1971 as a Company Commander in the
Commando Battalion. He has had the privilege of commanding artillery regiments and an armored division. On promotion to the rank
of Major General in 1991, he was
given the command of an Infantry Division and later of a prestigious strike Corps
as Lieutenant General in 1995. Musharraf has served on various important staff and instructional appointments during his career. He has also
been the Director General Military Ops at the GHQ from 1993 to 1995. He rose
to the rank of General and was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff on
October 7, 1998 when Pakistan's army chief,
General Jehangir Karamat,
resigned two days after calling for the army to be given a key role in the country's decision-making process. He was given
additional charge of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee on April 9, 1999.
Education
A graduate of Command and Staff College, Quetta, and the National Defense College, General Pervez Musharraf also distinguished
himself at the Royal College of Defense Studies, United Kingdom. His supervisor, commenting on his performance remarked in his report: "A capable, articulate
and extremely personable officer, who made a most valuable impact here. His country is fortunate to have the services of a man of
his undeniable quality."
Rise to Power
Later he rose to the rank of a full General and appointed as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), the highest office in the
Pakistani Army. As COAS, he seized power in a bloodless military coup d'état on October 12, 1999, placing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif under house arrest. Musharraf then dissolved the parliament and the state assemblies and
began administrating Pakistan on his on. He formally became President of Pakistan on June 20, 2001, just days before his scheduled visit for Agra Talks with India. Many consider that this move by him was
only to receive proper recognition by the Indian side.
A Moderate Leader
Musharraf is considered a moderate leader by Western governments because he is willing to deal with the West. Although many believe that Musharraf is sincere in his desire to bridge the Islamic and the
Western worlds and has previously spoken strongly against the idea of the inevitability of a 'clash of civilisations' between
them. Musharraf's emotional ties to the United States may be conjectured
to be significant since at least two close members of his family live there; his brother, a doctor, lives in Chicago and his son lives in Boston, who got his Masters from MIT and heads a venture-funded hi-tech upstart in Boston.
Musharraf's only other child, a daughter, is an architect.
A Liberal Muslim
Unlike orthodox Muslims who consider dogs to be 'unclean', and therefore don't keep them
as pets, Musharraf has several dogs. He is quoted to have said in an interview, "My dogs love me. And I love my dogs." Both of
his parents attended college; his mother's major was English
Literature. He has been open to making economic reforms and to modernize Pakistan. He is considered to be a modern,
English-style officer, like the old Pakistan army before Muhammad
Zia ul-Haq's rule, which was heavily influenced by the United States and whose officers were often trained there.
Partner in the War on Terror
Following the September 11, 2001 Attacks
Musharraf has worked closely with President
of the United States George W. Bush in the War on Terror (causing widespread discontent among people in Pakistan, who see
this cooperation as a sign of weakness). Musharraf's support for the USA was indispensable in defeating the Taliban in Afghanistan with the ease that
it was routed. This was done after his swift and strategically sound decision to cease Pakistan's long running support of the
Taliban. Pakistan cut the Taliban's oil and supply lines, provided intelligence and acted as a logistics support area for
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Shortly after the events of 9/11, Musharraf gave a watershed speech on Pakistan Television in which he pledged his and
Pakistan's support to the United States in its war on terrorism. Though the
Taliban was largely an independent phenomenon, there exists a general impression that the Taliban regime is a product of the
ISI security agency of Pakistan working on the principle of 'Strategic depth' to ensure a Pakistan-friendly regime in Afghanistan. The new policy was a sudden
180-degree turn from the old one and had been judged a key indicator of Musharraf's sincerity by analysts at think tanks like the
Brookings Institute.
Popular in Pakistan
Musharraf is a very eloquent speaker and has given many interviews and speeches on various US and European TV channels and
other media. He even paid a visit to the Rand Corporation in
Santa Monica, California, in June 2003. He seems to have advisers who are aware of the issues on U.S. leaders' minds
from moment to moment and Musharraf always seems to address those issues and seems to always say exactly what those leaders want
to hear. Due to these reasons, he is disliked by some right wing, minority Islamic fundamentalist parties in Pakistan. But
overall, Musharraf enjoys widespread support of the 150 million Pakistani people, who are mostly moderate Muslims many of whom
like the United States and want stable and permanently friendly relations with it. However, the US's image has suffered
ostensibly after the war in Iraq without a UN resolution. But this has happened all around the world and
Pakistan is no exception. Musharraf has bluntly refused to send any Pakistani troops to Iraq without a UN resolution.
Even though Musharraf didn't exactly come to power through proper channels, his rule is accepted by most Pakistanis. The
reason for this could be that the two leaders before him who were democratically elected, were widely thought to be kleptocrats. Benazir
Bhutto's husband was known as 'Mr. 10%' because for every large scale business deal to go through that needed government
approvals, he was known to demand 10% for himself.
Assasination Attempts
On December 14, 2003, General
Musharraf survived an assassination attempt when a powerful bomb went off
minutes after his highly-guarded convoy crossed a bridge in Rawalpindi. It was the third such attempt during his four-year rule.
11 days later, on December 25, 2003,
two suicide bombers tried to assassinate Musharraf, but their
car bombs failed to kill the president;
16 others nearby died instead. Musharraf escaped with only a cracked windshield on his car.
Democracy in Pakistan
In November 2002, much of the existing military government apparatus
was dismantled, and Musharraf agreed to hand over certain powers to a newly elected parliament. Musharraf stepped down as Prime
Minister and the legislature elected Mir Zafarullah
Khan Jamali in his place, who in turn appointed his own cabinet. The new government was mostly supportive of Musharraf, who
remained President and Head of State in the new government. Musharraf continues to be the active executive of Pakistan,
especially in foreign affairs.
On January 1, 2004 Musharraf won
confidence votes in both houses of Parliament and in Pakistan's four provincial assemblies. Musharraf received a majority of vote in all, but many
opposition and Islamic members of parliament walked out to protest the vote. With the
motion passed, Musharraf was "deemed to be elected" thus further legitimizing the President's rule. His term now extends to
2007.
Nuclear Proliferation
Recently, Musharraf has come under fire in the west, after the disclosure of nuclear proliferation by Dr. Abdul Qadeer
Khan, the metallurgist known as the father of Pakistan's bomb. Musharraf
has denied knowledge of or participation by Pakistan's government or army in this proliferation. Evidence seems to support his
claim and Musharraf continues to enjoy strong support of the White House and Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld. Nevertheless, some army officials have illegally participated without the top leadership's involvement as was borne
out by the initial investigation undertaken by Musharraf. Though AQ Khan has been pardoned, the fate of these military officers,
along with a few other civilians who were also found guilty, is yet to be decided.
Peace Overtures with India
In the middle of 2004, Musharraf began a series of talks with Pakistan's Eastern neighbor, India, to solve the
half-century-old dispute over the northern state of Jammu and
Kashmir, through a process known as "composite dialogue". Unless this dispute is resolved, the Indo-Pak subcontinent will
remain a powder keg, with the very real prospect of nuclear Armageddon perpetually looming over one-sixth of humanity. Both
India and Pakistan have bombs and nuclear
warhead delivery systems capable of targeting each other, due to their close proximity.
Pakistan has publicly stated that it reserves the right to 'exercise its nuclear option' first, in a large scale war with
India. India has declared a policy of 'no first nuclear strike' and demanded that Pakistan pledge the same. Musharraf has so far,
refused to do so, but has instead offered a "no war pact" to India. India has not officially responded to this offer.
External Links
- [1] Musharraf Biography on BBC
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