From Zeeshan Mirza
KARACHI: Former army chief and military ruler retired General Pervez Musharraf’s funeral prayers were Polo Ground in Karachi’s Malir Cantonment on Tuesday afternoon.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad as well as senior serving and retired army officers attended the funeral.
The ex-president, who passed away in Dubai on Feb 5, will be laid to rest at an army graveyard near Kala Pull, All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) spokes-person Tahir Hussain said in a statement.
The spokesperson said former army chiefs Qamar Javed Bajwa, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Aslam Beg were among those attended the funeral.
Politicians including MQM-P leaders Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi, Dr Farooq Sat-tar, PSP’s Mustafa Kamal, PML-N leader Amir Muqam, PTI leader and former Sindh governor Imran Ismail, former federal information minister Javed Jab-bar, former FBR chairman Shabbir Zaidi and Musharraf’s son Bilal were also in attendance, the APML spokesperson told. On Monday night, a special plane from Dubai carrying Musharraf’s body landed at the Karachi airport.
Hours before the plane landed, MP personnel, bac¬ked by the Pakistan Ran-gers, cordoned off Karachi airport’s old terminal. Hea¬vy security was also seen en route to the cantonment.
Earlier, the consulate general of Pakistan in Dubai issued an NOC for the re-patriation of the body of former military ruler.
Musharraf, who usurped power after a coup in October 1999 and ruled Paki-stan till 2008, breathed his last at age of 79 in Dubai, after a protracted battle with the rare disease amyloidosis.
Musharraf’s illness came to light in 2018 when the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) announced that he was suffering from amyloidosis, a group of rare, serious conditions caused by a build-up of an abnormal protein called amyloid in organs and tissues throughout the body.
In June last year, the former military strongman was hospitalised for three weeks, prompting rumours of his death. However, his family had to issue a statement to refute these reports.
“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.
The former dictator left Pakistan for medical treatment in March 2016, two years after he was indicted by a court for suspending the Constitution on Nov 3, 2007. On Dec 17, 2019, a special court formed to hear the high treason case against the ex-dictator handed him a death sentence. However, the decision of the special court was suspended by a Lahore High Court bench.
