DUBAI/ISLAMABAD: Former military ruler, retired Gen. Pervez Musharraf, passed away in Dubai following a prolonged illness, reports citing members of his family said Sunday.
The reports indicate the former army chief, 79, died due to Amyloidosis, a disease caused by the buildup of a protein called amyloid in organs, leading to impaired organ function. He spent his final months in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless 1999 military coup and stepped down nine years later amid mass protests, left Pakistan in 2016, in the middle of a treason trial, for health reasons that his lawyers argued prevented him from standing trial.
Since then, he spent most of his time in self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom and the Middle East.
However, in July of last year, Musharraf expressed a desire to return to Pakistan and spend the remainder of his life there. The military expressed support for this wish, but it could not be realised due to political opposition to his policies during his time in government.
General Pervez Musharraf was born on August 11, 1943 in Delhi, British India. He got commission from Pakistan Military Academy kakul on 19 April 1964. In 1998 he was promoted to General and took over as the Chief of Army Staff and he had been holding this office till November 2007.