Musharraf, Pervez

Musharraf, Pervez, 1943–, Pakistani army officer, president of Pakistan (2001–), b. Delhi. After the partition of British India, his family resettled in Karachi, Pakistan; he spent (1949–56) some of his childhood in Turkey, where his father was posted as a diplomat. He entered the Pakistan Military Academy in 1961 and became (1964) an artillery officer, rising through the ranks to major general (1991), lieutenant general (1995), and general and chief of army staff (1998). In 1999 he became chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee.

In Oct., 1999, Prime Minister Sharif attempted to remove Musharraf by refusing his returning flight landing rights in Pakistan. The move led to a coup by Musharraf, who became chief executive; he appointed himself president 20 months later. A controversial referendum in 2002 extended his rule for five years. Musharraf was reelected in 2007, but his right to run while still army chief was challenged; before the supreme court could rule, he suspended the constitution, declared emergency rule, and dismissed the court members who seemed likely to rule against him. After the challenges were dismissed, he resigned (Nov., 2007) as army chief. A declared supporter of a democratic, nonfundamentalist Islamic Pakistan and a supporter as well of the U.S. war on terror, he has twice been the target of assassination attempts.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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