Musharraf was one of US most important allies: Obituary

ISLAMABAD: Former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf rendered Pakistan an ally of the United States in a war against terrorism after the 9/11 attacks. But his heavy-handed use of the military to quell dissent as well as his continued backing of the US in its war against Al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban ultimately led to his downfall, a British wire service reported.

The former military ruler became one of Washington’s most important allies after the attacks, allowing US forces to operate armed drones from secret bases on Pakistani soil that killed thousands and ordering domestic troops into the country’s lawless tribal areas along the Afghanistan frontier for the first time in Pakistan’s history.

It helped legitimise his rule overseas but also helped plunge Pakistan into a bloody war against militant groups.

In his autobiography ‘In the Line of Fire: A Memoir’ published in 2006, Musharraf took credit for saving Pakistan from American wrath saying the country had been warned it needed to be “prepared to be bombed back to the Stone Age” if it did not ally itself with Washington.

Musharraf also successfully lobbied then-president George W Bush to pour money into the Pakistani military.

In other areas of foreign policy, Musharraf attempted to normalise relations between New Delhi and Islamabad.

At a regional summit in 2002, less than three years after launching a military operation against India, he shocked the world when, after finishing a speech, suddenly moved towards Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to shake hands and offered to talk peace.

Analysts say the issue of Kashmir — which remains the most potent point of contention between India and Pakistan — was close to being solved during the Musharraf era. But the peace process was derailed soon after his rule.

Under his reign, foreign investment flourished and Pakistan saw annual economic growth of as much as 7.5% — which remains the highest level in nearly three decades, according to World Bank data. The later years of his presidency were, however, overshadowed, by his increasingly authoritarian rule.

On December 24, Musharraf announced he will step down as army chief by the end of 2004, though this was withdrawn when the time came.

In 2006, Musharraf ordered military action that killed a tribal head Akbar Bugti from Balochistan, laying the foundations of an armed insurgency that rages to this day.

The next year, more than a hundred students calling for the imposition of Sharia law were killed after Musharraf shunned negotiations and ordered troops to storm Lal Masjid in Islamabad and led to the birth of a new militant group, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which has since killed tens of thousands in suicide bombings and brazen assaults.

Later in 2007, a suicide blast that killed opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, triggered waves of violence. His efforts to strong-arm the judiciary also led to protests and a besieged Musharraf postponed elections and declared a state of emergency.

In 2008, the country’s first democratic elections in 11 years were held in which Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) came to power.

The Musharraf-backed party lost in elections and facing impeachment by parliament he resigned from the presidency and fled to London.

In October 2010, Musharraf announced the formation of his political party, the All-Pakistan Muslim League (APML) and returned to Pakistan in 2013 to participate in the general elections 2013. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), led by Nawaz Sharif, won the most seats in the general elections.

The PMLN government 2014 initiated a high treason case against Musharraf for imposing a state of emergency on November 3, 2007.

The former president was indicted in March 2014 after he appeared before the court. He rejected all charges against him.

On March 18, 2016, the former president left Pakistan for Dubai to seek medical treatment after his name was removed from the exit control list (ECL) on the orders of the Supreme Court.

A few months later, the special court declared Musharraf a proclaimed offender and ordered the confiscation of his property owing to his continuous inability to attend the proceedings. Later, his passport and identity card were also cancelled on the orders of the apex court. The former president was pronounced guilty of high treason and sentenced to death by hanging for his crimes on Dec 17, 2019.