Owing to his wish that he wants to spend his last days in Pakistan, the Pakistani military establishment has been making arrangements for the return of the ailing former military dictator General Parvez Musharraf.
“All arrangements for Musharraf’s return to Pakistan have been made, including an air ambulance. The institution stands by its ex- chief Musharraf,” says Kamran Shahid, a Pakistani journalist.
According to media reports, the 78-year-old former dictator’s family had approached the Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa that Musharraf wanted to spend his last days in his “beloved” Pakistan. Gen. Bajwa granted permission immediately.
“ General Pervez Musharraf should face "no obstacle" in his return to Pakistan in order to spend his remaining life with dignity”, the Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif instructed the officials.
Although the specific date of his return will be decided by the doctor, Pakistan's powerful military establishment made it clear that there should not be any kind of “harassment” for their former chief who has been facing legal charges including treason.
The past events should not have any bearing on the former president and military ruler's return to the country, Asif said, a day after Musharraf's family confirmed that he was suffering from Amyloidosis, a rare disease, and he was going through a "difficult stage where recovery is not possible."
“He is not on the ventilator. Has been hospitalized for the last 3 weeks due to a complication of his ailment (Amyloidosis). Going through a difficult stage where recovery is not possible and organs are malfunctioning. Pray for ease in his daily living,” the family wrote on Twitter last week.
Message from Family:
He is not on the ventilator. Has been hospitalized for the last 3 weeks due to a complication of his ailment (Amyloidosis). Going through a difficult stage where recovery is not possible and organs are malfunctioning. Pray for ease in his daily living. pic.twitter.com/xuFIdhFOnc
— Pervez Musharraf (@P_Musharraf) June 10, 2022
Musharraf’s illness came to light in 2018 when the All-Pakistan Muslim League announced that he was suffering from the rare disease, the Dawn newspaper reported.
Amyloidosis is the name for a group of rare, serious conditions caused by a build-up of an abnormal protein called amyloid in organs and tissues throughout the body. The build-up of amyloid proteins (deposits) can make it difficult for the organs and tissues to work properly.
The former dictator was indicted in 2014 for suspending the constitution of the country. The military establishment then “advised” him to leave Pakistan. Musharraf left Pakistan in 2016 for Dubai to seek medical treatment and since then he has been living there.
In 2019, he was awarded a death sentence which was “annulled” by the military establishment.
Born in 1943 in the famous Naharwali Haveli in Daryaganj, Old Delhi, Musharraf became the Pakistani army chief in 1998. The architect of Kargil War between India and Pakistan in 1999, Musharraf overthrew the Nawaz Sharif government in 1999 and became the dictator of Pakistan and ruled the country for nine years.
Musharraf gained much-needed international legitimacy after he joined the US-led war on terror in Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
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