ISLAMABAD (Al Jazeera) –
Pakistani former President Pervez Musharraf has died at a hospital in Dubai after a prolonged illness, military sources confirmed on Sunday. He was 79.
Musharraf, a four-star general, ruled Pakistan for nearly a decade after seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1999.
The former general was suffering from amyloidosis – a rare disease that causes organ damage. He had long been bedridden and wheelchair-bound.
In a brief statement released by the military’s media wing, senior military personnel expressed their “heartfelt condolences” on the demise of the former military ruler.
“May Allah bless the departed soul and give strength to [his] bereaved family.”
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered his condolences to Musharraf’s family on social media. “May the departed soul rest in peace,” he tweeted.
President Arif Alvi prayed “for eternal rest of the departed soul and courage to the bereaved family to bear this loss”, his office said in a statement.
Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said the former general’s family members were meeting to discuss whether his body will be brought back to Pakistan.
According to local news media outlet Geo News, Musharraf’s body will be flown back to Pakistan on Monday.
Musharraf, a former special forces commando, became president through the last of a string of military coups that roiled Pakistan since its founding amid the bloody 1947 partition of India.
He took power by deposing then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after relations between the two leaders deteriorated.
In October 1999, Sharif ordered Musharraf’s dismissal as the army chief flew home from a visit to Sri Lanka and denied his plane landing rights in Pakistan, even as it ran low on fuel. On the ground, the army seized control and, after he landed, Musharraf took charge.
He ruled the state through tensions with India, the U.S.-led so-called “war on terror” and an armed uprising that left thousands of people dead. He stepped down in 2008 while facing possible impeachment.
Al Jazeera’s Hyder said the general leaves behind a “mixed legacy”.
“There are supporters who will tell you that he did great services for this country,” he said. “He was the man who ushered a revolution in the Pakistani electronic media by allowing several private channels to come on air and to have critical debates.”
However, the opening up of the media “also proved to be his downfall”, Hyder said. “That was the genie he let out of the bottle but could not put back.”
Musharraf is survived by his wife Sehba and two children.