Pervez Musharraf passes away: Senior military chiefs, Pakistan's PTI condole death of former president

Don't get a haircut: When Pervez Musharraf praised Dhoni's long locks

Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf, who passed away on Sunday, always enjoyed India-Pakistan cricket rivalry and once suggested former Indian cricket captain M S Dhoni to not trim his flowing mane.

The 2006 tour was the last time India visited Pakistan for a bilateral series. During a presentation ceremony after a one-day match in Lahore, Musharraf, the then president of Pakistan, praised Dhoni's hairstyle.

Musharraf congratulated the Indian cricket team on winning the match and said they played "exceptionally well".

Mosharraf Zaidi, CEO of Tabadlad, an Islamabad-based think tank said,"The most important legacy Gen. Musharraf leaves behind predates his time as president. It was his planning and execution of the Kargil War (against India) - against the judgement of military officers that preceded him and initially unbeknownst to the elected leaders at the time. The 1999 Kargil War permanently altered ... Pakistan."

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani expresses deep sorrow over the former president's death

"May Allah bless the departed soul and give strength to the bereaved family," the military's media wing said.

In a series of tweets, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani expressed deep sorrow over the former president's death and extended condolences to the grieving family.

Senior military chiefs expressed "heartfelt condolences on sad demise of General Pervez Musharraf", a brief statement released by the military's media wing said.

In a statement issued immediately after Musharraf's demise, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad and all the services chiefs express their heartfelt condolences, Dawn reported.

"May Allah bless the departed soul and give strength to the bereaved family," the military's media wing said.

Musharraf and relations with India

Musharraf attempted to normalise relations between New Delhi and Islamabad.

At a regional summit in 2002, less than three years after launching the military operation against India, Musharraf shocked the world when, after finishing a speech, he suddenly moved towards Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to shake hands and offered to talk peace.

Analysts say the issue of Kashmir – which remains the most potent point of contention between India and Pakistan – was close to being solved during the Musharraf era. But the peace process was derailed soon after his rule.

Musharraf was among US' most important allies after 2001

His penchant for cigars and imported whisky and his calls for Muslims to adopt a lifestyle of "enlightened moderation" increased his appeal in the West in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

He became one of Washington’s most important allies after the attacks, allowing USforces to operate armed drones from secret bases on Pakistani soil that killed thousands and ordering domestic troops into the country’s lawless tribal areas along the Afghanistan frontier for the first time Pakistan’s history.

That helped legitimise his rule overseas but also helped plunge Pakistan into a bloody war against local extremist militant groups.

al Qaeda was Musharraf's greatest threat

Musharraf enjoyed strong support for many years, his greatest threat al Qaeda and other militant Islamists who tried to kill him at least three times. But his heavy-handed use of the military to quell dissent as well as his continued backing of the United States in its fight against al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban ultimately led to his downfall.

His father served in the foreign ministry, while his mother was a teacher and the family subscribed to a moderate, tolerant brand of Islam.

Musharraf oversaw rapid economic growth in Pakistan

Pervez Musharraf, the four-star general who ruled Pakistan for nearly a decade after seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1999, oversaw rapid economic growth and attempted to usher in socially liberal values in the conservative Muslim country.

Once an implacable foe of India, he became a real force for peace 2002-2007. I met him annually in those days at the UN and found him smart, engaging & clear in his strategic thinking. RIP: Shashi Tharoor

The former president's family moved from New Delhi to Karachi in 1947. He joined the Pakistan Army in 1964 and was a graduate of the Army Staff and Command College, Quetta.

Musharraf was born on August 11, 1943 in Delhi.

He assumed the post of Chief Executive after imposing martial law in the country in 1999 and served as the president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008.

The military ruler had been undergoing treatment at American Hospital Dubai.

Pakistan's former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf passed away on Sunday in a Dubai hospital, according to media reports.

Musharraf, 79, was suffering from amyloidosis, a rare disease caused by a build-up of an abnormal protein called amyloid in organs and tissues throughout the body, The Express Tribune reported.