General Pervez Musharraf's family denied rumours of the former Pakistan President's death; however, added that his health is deteriorating and 'recovery is not possible'.
Dismissing reports of General Pervez Musharraf's death, the former Pakistan President's family released a statement on Friday stating that he is not on the ventilator but confirmed that his health is deteriorating.
"He is not on the ventilator. Has been hospitalized for the last 3 weeks due to a complication of his ailment (Amyloidosis). Going through a difficult stage where recovery is not possible and organs are malfunctioning. Pray for ease in his daily living," read a tweet posted in General Pervez Musharraf's official handle.
Message from Family:
He is not on the ventilator. Has been hospitalized for the last 3 weeks due to a complication of his ailment (Amyloidosis). Going through a difficult stage where recovery is not possible and organs are malfunctioning. Pray for ease in his daily living. pic.twitter.com/xuFIdhFOnc
Reports in some sections of the media earlier claimed the 78-year-old had passed away, which was denied by a few people as well. Pakistan journalist Wajahat Kazmi tweeted, "The news circulating about former President Gen Pervez Musharraf is not true. He is sick but at home."
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Musharraf, who took power in a coup in 1999, served as President of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Interestingly, he was born in Old Delhi, and his family moved to Karachi following the Partition.
He studied at Saint Patrick's School in Karachi. Later, he studied mathematics at Forman Christian College in Lahore and was educated at the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom. Musharraf entered the Pakistan Military Academy in 1961 and was commissioned into the Pakistan Army in 1964, playing an active role in the Afghan civil war.
Musharraf saw action during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 as a second lieutenant. By the 1980s, he was commanding an artillery brigade. In the 1990s, Musharraf was promoted to major general, assigned an infantry division, and later commanded the Special Services Group. Soon after, he also served as deputy military secretary and director general of military operations.
Musharraf rose to national prominence when he was promoted to four-star general by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1998, making Musharraf the head of the armed forces.
The former dictator had launched the 1999 Kargil War without the civilian government's approval. Aides of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have said he had sought to derail talks with India through the operation.
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The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict,[note (I)] was an armed conflict fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also referred to as Operation Vijay and went on from 3 May to 26 July 1999.
Kargil Vijay Diwas is commemorated every 26 July in India to observe the Indian defence forces' victory over Pakistan in the Kargil War for ousting Pakistani Forces from their occupied positions on the mountain tops of Northern Kargil District in Ladakh.