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Former COAS, president Pervez Musharraf laid to rest with military honours

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Former COAS, president Pervez Musharraf laid to rest with military honours

The funeral prayers of former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf were offered at Polo Ground in Malir Cantonment, Karachi, on Tuesday. 

He was later laid to rest in a military graveyard in the port city where his father was also buried. Strict security measures were taken for the last rites of the former president. 

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Sahir Shamshad, former army chiefs retired Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, retired Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kiani, politicians including MQM-P’s Farooq Sattar and Mustafa Kamal were among those who attended the funeral prayers of the former military ruler.

A special plane carrying the body of Musharraf – who breathed his last on Sunday in Dubai – touched down at the Karachi airport on Monday night. Musharraf’s wife Sehba Musharraf, son and daughter accompanied the coffin. 

The former general had been admitted to the American Hospital, Dubai as he was suffering from a rare disease amyloidosis. He was hospitalised for three weeks in June last year. “Going through a difficult stage where recovery is not possible and organs are malfunctioning. Pray for ease in his daily living,” his family said at the time in a statement via Musharraf’s official Twitter account. 

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On Sunday, Musharraf’s family filed an application in the Pakistani consulate in Dubai to shift the former military leader’s body to Pakistan.

— Condolences pour in —

Politicians and others expressed their profound grief over the demise of Gen Musharraf.

PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry in a tweet uttered positive words about the departed soul, saying Pervez Musharraf himself was a great man but his friends turned to be pygmies. 

Reacting to the news, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) Gen Sahir Shamshad and tri-services chiefs expressed heartfelt condolences on the former army chief’s demise.

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“CJCSC and services chiefs express heartfelt condolences on the sad demise of Gen Pervez Musharraf, former president, CJCSC and chief of army staff. May Allah bless the departed soul and give strength to the bereaved family,” the military’s media wing said.

PML-Q leaders Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and Chaudhry Moonis Elahi also expressed their deep sense of shock over the demise, saying the services of Gen Musharraf for the army and Pakistan would always be remembered.

In a series of tweets, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani expressed deep sorrow over the former president’s death and extended condolences to the family.
“May God grant the deceased a high rank and give patience to the family,” he added.

— Profile —

Pervez Musharraf was born on August 11, 1943 in New Delhi, India. He who took power in a coup in 1999 and also served as president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008.

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Musharraf moved with his family from New Delhi to Karachi in 1947, when Pakistan was carved out as an independent country. The son of a career diplomat, he lived in Turkey during 1949–56. He joined the army in 1964, graduated from the Army Command and Staff College in Quetta, and attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in London.

The former army chief held a number of appointments in the artillery, the infantry, and commando units and also taught at the Staff College in Quetta and in the War Wing of the National Defence College.

He fought in Pakistan’s 1965 and 1971 wars with India. The Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed Gen Musharraf head of the armed forces in October 1998.

On October 12, 1999, while Musharraf was out of the country, Sharif dismissed him and tried to prevent the plane carrying Musharraf home from landing at the Karachi airport. The armed forces, however, took control of the airport and other government installations and deposed Sharif, paving the way for Musharraf to become head of a military government.

Although he was generally considered to hold moderate views and promised an eventual return to civilian rule, Musharraf suspended the constitution and dissolved parliament. He formed the National Security Council, made up of civilian and military appointees, to run Pakistan in the interim.

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In early 2001 he assumed the presidency and later attempted to negotiate an agreement with India over the Kashmir region. Following the September 11 attacks in 2001 in the United States and the subsequent US invasion of Afghanistan later that year, the US government cultivated close ties with Musharraf in an attempt to root out Islamic extremists in the Afghan-Pakistan border region.

Following a movement led by the political parties, Musharraf resigned as the president on August 18, 2008.

On March 30, 2014, Musharraf was indicted for suspending the Constitution on November 3, 2007. On December 17, 2019, a special court handed Musharraf death sentence in the high treason case against him.

The former military ruler left the country in March 2016 for Dubai to seek medical treatment and didn’t return to Pakistan since.

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Zardari promises PPP will empower people of Balochistan

Zardari promises PPP will empower people of Balochistan

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Zardari promises PPP will empower people of Balochistan

 Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari stated Thursday his party would empower the people of Balochistan as the true owners of their land.

Addressing a PPP Foundation Day ceremony in Quetta, the former president emphasised that his party possessed effective solutions for the issues facing the country.Zardari invited the Pakistani nation, especially the youth, to join him, Bilawal and Aseefa Bhutto, in a united effort to build and elevate Pakistan, positioning it prominently on the world stage.He expressed confidence that the world would recognise Pakistan as a great country.Zardari referred to Balochistan as the heart of Pakistan, expressing regret that Islamabad and other provinces failed to recognise this fact.He pledged that the PPP would empower the people of Balochistan as the true owners of their land.

Emphasising that his party possessed effective solutions for the country’s issues, the former president asserted that Pakistan could only become an exporting nation when Balochistan received adequate water.

Zardari affirmed that the PPP was committed to providing water to Balochistan, citing their formulated plans for achieving this.

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Zardari also commended Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, highlighting his achievement as the youngest foreign minister to proudly raise the Pakistani flag.

He urged support for Bilawal Bhutto’s leadership, emphasising the need to cultivate him as a leader for the youth and the nation’s future.

Zardari also reiterated the PPP’s historical commitment to serving the farmers and labourers of Balochistan.

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Admiral Ashraf confident in navy’s operational preparedness to meet maritime challenges

Admiral Ashraf confident in navy’s operational preparedness to meet maritime challenges

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Admiral Ashraf confident in navy's operational preparedness to meet maritime challenges

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf has emphasised maintaining perpetual combat readiness to effectively thwart any aggression against Pakistan.

According to a press release issued here, Admiral Naveed Ashraf was chairing the Command and Staff Conference of the Pakistan Navy which concluded in Islamabad on Thursday.

The naval chief lauded the initiatives undertaken towards capability development through acquisition of state-of-the-art platforms and emerging technologies.

He expressed confidence in the Pakistan Navy’s high state of operational preparedness to meet maritime challenges and safeguard maritime frontiers of the country.

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The conference discussed matters related to national security, geo strategic affairs, combat readiness and training of troops. It also assessed the evolving maritime situation in the region due to the ongoing conflict in Middle East.

Under the prevailing maritime situation in the Middle East, the deployment of a Pakistan Navy ship for the protection of Pakistan’s merchant ships was also discussed.

Progress on Pakistan Navy’s projects, including future plans, was also reviewed and a way forward was deliberated.

The Command and Staff Conference is the apex decision making body of the Pakistan Navy in which the navy chief along with all principal staff officers and field commanders review the policies and plans of the Pakistan Navy.

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President for enhanced partnership with WHO to overcome health challenges

President for enhanced partnership with WHO to overcome health challenges

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President for enhanced partnership with WHO to overcome health challenges

President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday called for further enhancing the partnership between the World Health Organization (WHO) and health authorities in Pakistan to effectively overcome various health challenges being faced by the country.

The president, while talking to the outgoing WHO Country Director Dr Palitha Mahipala, who called on him, appreciated the role of the WHO in strengthening Pakistan’s primary healthcare system, besides providing support to various government initiatives.

During the meeting, Dr Mahipala highlighted the role of the WHO in improving Pakistan’s healthcare system and supporting efforts to revitalise healthcare facilities in the country, especially during last year’s floods.

He said the WHO would continue to support Pakistan for improving the health of its people.

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President Alvi emphasised the need for creating awareness about the importance of mental health and early counselling at the household level.

He remarked that the availability of a mental health toolkit to deal with mental stress in the families needed to be ensured.

He maintained that establishing mental health support systems and enhancing people’s accessibility to quality mental health services in the country required the input of multiple stakeholders.

The president expressed satisfaction over the fact that Pakistan’s society had witnessed a positive change in its attitude towards the rights of persons with disabilities, adding that concerted efforts were needed to ensure their rights.

Dr Mahipala lauded the commendable role played by President Alvi and First Lady Samina Alvi in raising awareness about various health issues, including breast cancer, mental health and the rights of persons with disabilities.

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The president appreciated the role and commitment of Dr Mahipala for strengthening the health sector of Pakistan and wished him success for his future endeavours.

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