Two former corps commanders Karachi die

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: Two former Corps Commanders of Karachi, Lt. General (R) Naseer Akhtar and Lt. General (R) Muzaffar Hussain Usmani passed away on Thursday.

Former corps commander Karachi Lt General (retd) Muzaffar Usmani was found dead in his car parked in Khayaban-e-Sehr neighbourhood of Defence Housing Authority (DHA) on Thursday.“The retired general was found dead in his own vehicle in Phase VIII, DHA, Karachi, at around 12:30am on Thursday. Initial investigation shows that it was a case of natural death. The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center for medical examination,” said Zone South police chief DIG Javed Akbar Riaz while talking to The News.

“He used to live alone in Phase IV, DHA, and often used to go for a drive when apparently, he suffered a heart attack while driving.” The officer said that the police personnel on routine patrol spotted his car near the Golf Club. He added that his car engine was running with air condition on. “He was unconscious or already dead,” the officer explained. The Military Police and deceased army officer’s sister were also informed. His car was taken into custody.

General Usmani was 75. He was born in the Muradabad area of India in February 1945. His family migrated to Pakistan following the Partition in 1947. He was commissioned in the Pakistan Army in 1966. During his service, he held various command and staff appointments and also commanded a corps-sized formation in Bahawalpur.

He was appointed as the corps commander Karachi before the martial law was imposed in the country in 1999. Lieut General (retd) Usmani was considered one of the close friends of former army chief General (retd) Pervaiz Musharraf. In 2001, Usmani was appointed as the deputy chief of the army staff by Musharraf. He then retired from the Pakistan Army in 2002.

Muhammad Anis adds: Lt. General (retd) Naseer Akhtar died in a local hospital of Lahore. Then Chief of the Army Staff, General Asif Nawaz Janjua, had appointed him Karachi Corps Commander. Lt. General (retd) Naseer Akhtar was acting as the commander of 5 Corps (Karachi Corps) from 1992 to 1994 when a clean-up operation named ‘Blue Fox’ was launched against the MQM. The operation, which was participated by the Sindh Police and Rangers with support of Pakistan Army and intelligence agencies, was started by then prime minister Nawaz Sharif government and also pursued by Benazir Bhutto government.

Lt. General (retd) Muzaffar Husain Usmani as Karachi corps commander was instrumental in October 12, 1999 military coup against then prime minister Nawaz Sharif. He took control of the Quaid-e-Azam International Airport and ensured General Pervez Musharraf’s aircraft could land at the Jinnah Terminal. General (R) Musharraf appointed him as Deputy Chief of Staff but later removed him after developing differences with him.

Meanwhile, Lt Gen (retd) Akhtar's family said the former military officer had passed away at a local hospital in Lahore where he was admitted for a couple of days. The family said that the former corps commander was suffering from a medical condition that caused tremors in his body. Akhtar's funeral prayers will be offered at Lahore Cantt after Zuhr prayer.