Online Encyclopedia
Categories: 1943 births | Chiefs of Army Staff, Pakistan | Pakistani people | Presidents of Pakistan
Pervez Musharraf
General Pervez Musharraf (born August 11, 1943, Delhi, India) became de facto ruler (using the title Chief Executive and assuming extensive power) of Pakistan on October 12, 1999 following a bloodless coup d'état. He assumed the office of President of Pakistan (becoming Head of State) on June 20, 2001.
In order to legitimize and legalize his rule, he held a referendum on April 30, 2002 and was thereby elected as President of Pakistan for duration of five years. In accordance with a deal with Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, Musharraf agreed to leave the army on December 31, 2004, but on September 15, 2004, backed down from the deal citing that the circumstances the country faces demand that both the presidency and army chief post be kept by him.
Musharraf got a vote of confidence on January 1, 2004, from the Parliament and the four provincial assemblies under the provision of the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan duly passed by the National Assembly and the Senate. So, he will continue to serve as President also.
Musharraf was born in Daryaganj in Delhi, India but moved with his parents to Karachi, Pakistan during the partition of India (1947).
| Contents |
Military Career
In 1961, he joined the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul 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 . In 1967/68, he was promoted to Captain. 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 Service 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 on January 15, 1991, he was given the command of an Infantry Division and later of a prestigious strike Corps as Lieutenant General on October 21, 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, Pakistan 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 was appointed 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 own. 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.
Image of 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, Illinois and his son lives in Boston, Massachusetts, 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. Both his parents acquired American citizenship.
"Liberal" views
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 Inter-Services Intelligence 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.
Popularity 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 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. It's quite possible that the political ramifications for Musharraf would have been dire if he had not done so.
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.
Assassination 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. It has been reported that Amjad Hussain Farooqi is suspected of being the mastermind behind these attempts, and there has been an extensive manhunt for him.
Restoration of democracy
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
Musharraf is widely believed to be the architect of the Pakistani incursions into the Indian held disputed territory of Kashmir (Kargil sector), in the summer of 1999. The Pakistani army was decisively defeated and forced to retreat. Although some reports suggest that Musharraf retreated after huge pressure on the then Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from the American President, who feared the conflict could turn into a nuclear catastrophe. As this came just after the Lahore Peace Summit earlier that year, he was viewed with mistrust in India.
In the middle of 2004, Musharraf began a series of talks with India to solve the Kashmir dispute through a peaceful process known as "composite dialogue ". Both India and Pakistan have bombs and nuclear warhead delivery systems capable of attacking each other, due to their close proximity. Both countries are continuing to aggressively increase their nuclear capabilities by actively producing even more nuclear weapons and perfecting their missile technology by conducting tests of ever more sophisticated missiles.
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.
|
Preceded by: General Jehangir Karamat |
Chiefs of Army Staff, Pakistan | Followed by: (current) |
|
Preceded by: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif |
Chief Executive |
Followed by: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali |
|
Preceded by: Muhammad Rafiq Tarar |
President of Pakistan | Followed by: (current) |
See also
- Pakistan
- Politics of Pakistan
- President of Pakistan
- Line of Succession to President of Pakistan
- Category:Presidents of Pakistan
- Category:Prime Ministers of Pakistan
- Category:Chiefs of Army Staff, Pakistan
- Category:Pakistani people
External Links
- Government of Pakistan website
- The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
- Biography on storyofpakistan.com
- Time Magazine Cover Story on Musharraf
- Profile dated September 24, 2001 on BBC
- President Musharraf Biography dated December 25, 2003 on BBC
- General Pervez Musharraf
- "Transcript of interview with His Excellency President Pervez Musharraf" - telegraph.co.uk, June 20, 2004
Categories: 1943 births | Chiefs of Army Staff, Pakistan | Pakistani people | Presidents of Pakistan