KARACHI: Pakistan’s former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf was buried with full military honors in an army cemetery here on Tuesday in the presence of his relatives and several retired and serving military officers.
The 79-year-old former president’s funeral prayers were held in the afternoon at the Gulmohar Polo Ground in Malir Cantonment in a low-key ceremony attended by neither President Arif Alvi nor Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
However, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and former army chiefs – Qamar Javed Bajwa, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Aslam Beg – attended the funeral.
Former ISI leaders – General (Retd) Shuja Pasha and General (Retd) Zaheerul Islam – and several serving and retired military officers also attended the funeral prayers.
Politicians, including the leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (Pakistan), Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi, Dr. presence.
Top leaders from the ruling Pakistan People’s Party in Sindh province or Jamaat-e-Islaami were not present at the final ceremonies.
Musharraf’s coffin was draped in Pakistan’s green and white flag, though the ceremony was not a state funeral.
Musharraf’s coffin was then taken to the army cemetery reserved for top officials at Shahrah-e-Faisal and buried there with full military honors and protocol.
Tahir Husseinwho has been Musharraf’s spokesman in Karachi since the ex-ruler founded his party – the APML – in October 2010, said a large number of military officials, senior bureaucrats and businessmen attended the funeral prayers under military security.
Musharraf, the architect of the 1999 Kargil war and Pakistan’s last military ruler, died in Dubai on Sunday after a long illness. The former president underwent treatment for amyloidosis in Dubai. He has been living in self-exile in the UAE since 2016 to avoid criminal prosecution in his home country.
Musharraf’s remains arrived here on Monday on a special flight from Dubai.
His wife Saba, son Bilal, daughter and other close relatives arrived with the body on the special Malta Aviation plane arranged by the UAE authorities.
The plane landed in the old terminal area of Jinnah International Airport amid heavy security with the former president’s family and the body was taken to the Malir Cantonment area, officials said.
His mother was buried in Dubai while father was buried in Karachi.
Musharraf enjoyed enormous support and popularity among many, but was also hated and vilified by the bar association, civil rights groups and political parties for his anti-democratic actions.
Sharp disagreements between political leaders emerged in the Senate on Monday over saying prayers for the former military ruler. Pakistan’s parliament follows a tradition of offering Fateha (prayers) for the deceased soul when a prominent politician or personality of the country dies.
Members of the Senate, the upper house of Parliament, hurled accusations against each other for supporting dictatorial regimes and violators of the Constitution when the question of prayers for Musharraf came up.
The petition movement was led by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senator Shehzad Wasim from Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party and supported by other members of his party.
When Senator Mushtaq Ahmad of the right-wing Jamaat-i-Islami, who was about to lead a joint incantation for the earthquake victims in Turkey, was asked to also pray for Musharraf’s soul, he refused, saying that he only the incantation would lead for the earthquake victims.
The refusal sparked rowdy exchanges between lawmakers, with some members reminding Senator Mushtaq that his party had also once supported Musharraf.
Later, the PTI lawmakers led by Senator Wasim, who was given a break from politics by Musharraf, offered a customary prayer while the Treasury senators refused to join them.
The division in the House of Lords over praying for the dead was rare and a striking reflection of Musharraf’s troubled legacy.
Musharraf, who seized power after a bloodless military coup in October 1999 and overthrew the elected government of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, ruled Pakistan as chief executive and president until 2008.
He was born in New Delhi in 1943 and migrated to Pakistan after partition in 1947.
The 79-year-old former president’s funeral prayers were held in the afternoon at the Gulmohar Polo Ground in Malir Cantonment in a low-key ceremony attended by neither President Arif Alvi nor Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
However, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and former army chiefs – Qamar Javed Bajwa, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Aslam Beg – attended the funeral.
Former ISI leaders – General (Retd) Shuja Pasha and General (Retd) Zaheerul Islam – and several serving and retired military officers also attended the funeral prayers.
Politicians, including the leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (Pakistan), Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi, Dr. presence.
Top leaders from the ruling Pakistan People’s Party in Sindh province or Jamaat-e-Islaami were not present at the final ceremonies.
Musharraf’s coffin was draped in Pakistan’s green and white flag, though the ceremony was not a state funeral.
Musharraf’s coffin was then taken to the army cemetery reserved for top officials at Shahrah-e-Faisal and buried there with full military honors and protocol.
Tahir Husseinwho has been Musharraf’s spokesman in Karachi since the ex-ruler founded his party – the APML – in October 2010, said a large number of military officials, senior bureaucrats and businessmen attended the funeral prayers under military security.
Musharraf, the architect of the 1999 Kargil war and Pakistan’s last military ruler, died in Dubai on Sunday after a long illness. The former president underwent treatment for amyloidosis in Dubai. He has been living in self-exile in the UAE since 2016 to avoid criminal prosecution in his home country.
Musharraf’s remains arrived here on Monday on a special flight from Dubai.
His wife Saba, son Bilal, daughter and other close relatives arrived with the body on the special Malta Aviation plane arranged by the UAE authorities.
The plane landed in the old terminal area of Jinnah International Airport amid heavy security with the former president’s family and the body was taken to the Malir Cantonment area, officials said.
His mother was buried in Dubai while father was buried in Karachi.
Musharraf enjoyed enormous support and popularity among many, but was also hated and vilified by the bar association, civil rights groups and political parties for his anti-democratic actions.
Sharp disagreements between political leaders emerged in the Senate on Monday over saying prayers for the former military ruler. Pakistan’s parliament follows a tradition of offering Fateha (prayers) for the deceased soul when a prominent politician or personality of the country dies.
Members of the Senate, the upper house of Parliament, hurled accusations against each other for supporting dictatorial regimes and violators of the Constitution when the question of prayers for Musharraf came up.
The petition movement was led by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senator Shehzad Wasim from Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party and supported by other members of his party.
When Senator Mushtaq Ahmad of the right-wing Jamaat-i-Islami, who was about to lead a joint incantation for the earthquake victims in Turkey, was asked to also pray for Musharraf’s soul, he refused, saying that he only the incantation would lead for the earthquake victims.
The refusal sparked rowdy exchanges between lawmakers, with some members reminding Senator Mushtaq that his party had also once supported Musharraf.
Later, the PTI lawmakers led by Senator Wasim, who was given a break from politics by Musharraf, offered a customary prayer while the Treasury senators refused to join them.
The division in the House of Lords over praying for the dead was rare and a striking reflection of Musharraf’s troubled legacy.
Musharraf, who seized power after a bloodless military coup in October 1999 and overthrew the elected government of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, ruled Pakistan as chief executive and president until 2008.
He was born in New Delhi in 1943 and migrated to Pakistan after partition in 1947.
