Former Pakistani dictator General Pervez Musharraf, responsible for the Kargil war, died on February 5 due to a prolonged illness. He was admitted to the American Hospital in Dubai.
General Pervez Musharraf, a four-star general of the Pakistan Army, became the 10th president of Pakistan after a forceful military takeover of the Federal Government in 1999. Musharraf served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1998 to 2001 and as Chief of Army Staff from 1998 to 2007.
Musharraf once called himself the “biggest supporter” of the LeT and its founder Hafiz Saeed, Pakistan’s former dictator Parvez Musharraf, who was the brain behind the 1999 Kargil conflict, has also said that he backs the terror groups’ role in “suppressing” the Indian Army in Kashmir. “The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) are fond of me,” he said.
The main perpetrator of the KARGIL WAR
Musharraf was responsible for the Kargil war in 1999 with India. From March to May 1999, he ordered the infiltration of forces in the Kargil district. Later, war erupted after India discovered the infiltration. The battle was fought by the Indian troops at heights of 16,000-18,000 feet to evict the Pakistan Army’s intrusion across the Line of Control on a frontage of almost 130 km. The tactical advantage of the enemy sitting on the high ground did not deter the resolve of the Indian soldiers to throw them out of Indian soil. In this proxy war by Pakistan, 527 Indian soldiers were martyred.
Support to Taliban
Musharraf played a key role in the Afghan civil war and encouraged Pakistan’s support of the Taliban. According to The 9/11 Commission Report, Pakistan’s aid to the Taliban reached “unprecedented” levels, and even Pakistan allowed the Taliban to use territory in Pakistan for military operations. Furthermore, during Musharraf’s regime, Pakistan provided the Taliban with equipment, fuel, funding, technical assistance and military advisors.
According to a U.S. Department of State, Cable, “Pakistan Support for Taliban,” Sept. 26, 2000, Secret report, reads, “Pakistan is providing the Taliban with equipment, fuel, funding, technical assistance and military advisors. also, many Pakistani nationals have recently moved into Afghanistan to fight for the Taliban, apparently with the tacit acquiescence of the Pakistani government.” Additional reports indicate that direct Pakistani involvement in Taliban military operations has increased.”
In 2008, Musharraf emigrated to London in a self-imposed exile after tendering his resignation to avoid impeachment in 2008. Later in 2013, he returned to Pakistan but was disqualified from participating after Pakistan’s high courts issued arrest warrants for him for his role in the assassinations of Benazir Bhutto and Nawab Akbar Bugti.
The case against Musharraf continued after former PM Nawaz Sharif’s removal from office in 2017. The same year Musharraf was declared an “absconder” in the Bhutto assassination case as he moved to Dubai.
Musharraf was sentenced to death in absentia for the treason charges in 2019. However, the death sentence was later revoked by the Lahore High Court.
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