There was a former Pakistani**, Musharraf, who carried out a bloodless coup d'état and tried to maintain China-Pakistan friendship, but in his later years became a person accused of treason.
In 2019, Musharraf was sentenced to death for "treason."
However, during his tenure, Pakistan has made tremendous progress in both the economic and diplomatic fields under his leadership, and has actively maintained friendly relations with China.
So why was he accused of "treason"?Is there a hidden story in it?
To tell the story of what happened, we have to start with a military coup d'état in Pakistan.
On the afternoon of 12 October 1999, Musharraf had just returned to his homeland by plane after attending the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Sri Lankan army.
However, when his plane arrived at the airport in Karachi, Pakistan, it was forbidden to land.
According to the airport command center, Musharraf has been dismissed from his post as army chief of staff and is not allowed to return to China.
There has long been a rift between the military and civilian officials in Pakistan, when the Kargil War broke out and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif advocated the withdrawal of troops, while the military, represented by Musharraf, took a hardline stance.
Sharif was dissatisfied with Musharraf and therefore announced his dismissal.
In order to safeguard national interests, Musharraf did not follow the instructions and ordered the planes to circle over the airport and wait for the troops to arrive on the ground to pick them up.
By half past six in the afternoon, troops loyal to Musharraf surrounded the government and the prime minister's office, seized the state department, and placed Sharif and cabinet members under house arrest.
When Musharraf's plane ran out of fuel, he had to decisively order a forced landing, and as the army stormed the airfield, he stepped out of the plane and went to the garrison headquarters in Karachi.
That night, amid panic among the people of the country, Musharraf, dressed in military uniform, appeared on television and announced the dissolution of Sharif** and the military took over power.
But after he seized power, in order to appease the people, he repeatedly emphasized that he was not in power but to save the country. He assured the people that tensions with India would be eased, the economic recession would be overcome, and true democracy would be achieved.
Subsequently, he actively enlisted the support of Talal to select and lead a new cabinet to take the oath of office.
In order to de-escalate the conflict between India and Pakistan, he reversed his previous position and withdrew his troops to the border areas that had been demarcated between the two countries. One of the most popular in Pakistan's history, he was controversial for his resolute approach to ethnic, religious, and racial contradictions. Musharraf's heavy-line approach to fighting extremism, sectarianism and terrorism has led Western countries to question whether he is a champion. In addition, he also chose to support the United States in the fight against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which caused opposition from some people in the country. These negative evaluations put his position of power at risk.
However, we cannot deny that under Musharraf's leadership, Pakistan has achieved some notable achievements.
Not only did he crack down on corruption in the country, but he also worked to develop the economy and improve Pakistan's international reputation. The country's economic growth rate has even reached its highest level in Pakistan in nearly 30 years. His ** is also working with the United States to counter terrorism and strengthen economic cooperation with China.
In order to maintain his position in the country, Musharraf made a number of key decisions. First, he took drastic measures against corruption in the country, cracking down on a large number of *** and recovering about Rs 800 crore.
At the same time, in order to support this anti-corruption action, he also publicly announced his property situation and labeled the new ** as "honest and upright".
However, the controversy of the second half of Musharraf**'s political career is hard to ignore. He was accused several times and even given the title of "treason". This led to him having to flee the country and spend the rest of his life overseas.
While Musharraf has left a glorious page in Pakistan's history, his political career has also taught us the need for careful thinking when dealing with complex and sensitive issues. Balancing ethnic, religious and racial interests has always been a difficult problem for Pakistan.
Under Musharraf**, his tough measures have raised questions in Western countries, but this does not completely negate his achievements.
We cannot simply characterize Musharraf as a "traitor", as it turns out that he has had some positive reform initiatives during his time in power. However, for better or worse, Musharraf's leadership experience offers us valuable lessons, and it is hoped that Pakistan's future leaders will learn from them and better handle domestic and foreign affairs. The second half of Musharraf's life was full of ups and downs.
He was a loyal military man, but was accused of "treason" because of the coup d'état, simply because he took off his military uniform. Faced with this accusation, he was very disappointed and firmly claimed that he was "not guilty". From the beginning of joining the army, he has always been enthusiastic about serving the country, but in the end he has to deal with various lawsuits. Despite this, he maintained a strong image, never accepted any false accusations, and spent the rest of his life in controversy. Musharraf eventually came to the brink of a sickbed, tormented by a double state of physical and mental stress. Faced with his inability to continue the struggle against the opposition, he chose to use health reasons as an excuse to apply to seek ** abroad, and escaped from house arrest at home.
Then, like a sinner waiting to be sentenced, he silently waited in Dubai for the arrest warrant of his homeland that could be issued at any time.
Sure enough, in 2019, he was sentenced to death for "treason". In fact, Musharraf has been on trial since 2013, and the "treason" case has not been settled until this year, when he was finally convicted and sentenced to death.
However, it didn't take long for the court to withdraw the death sentence against him. Although he did not suffer the death penalty in the end, the conviction of "treason" remained with him.
In the face of this accusation, Musharraf went from a resolute defense at first, to a silent speech, and finally had to endure the torment of illness in his later years, recalling the scene of heroic killing of the enemy on the battlefield.
He joined the army at the age of 21, participated in the Second Kashmir War between India and Pakistan at the age of 22, and fought bloodily with the Indian army on the front line for 17 days.
Although he continued to rise in rank, his humble and kind personality never changed, and he was never put on a show, and he was treated equally by soldiers and officers.
It was this modest and peaceful attitude that allowed him to gain a foothold in the army, eventually becoming Pakistan's first minority general, but Musharraf, a minority in the tradition of the Pakistani army, had little chance of rising to the rank of general.
Because they were born in India, his parents fled India with him to what is now Karachi, Pakistan, before the partition of India and Pakistan.
In the Pakistani army at that time, no one from this minority had ever held the post of major or higher before.
However, Musharraf, with his outstanding military talents, rose all the way to the top position in the army as a minority, becoming Pakistan's first ethnic minority general.
He was also a well-known dutiful son, and despite his busy career, he always lived with his parents and took care of them. He is also full of love and concern for his children.
Even when he had to stage a military coup d'état, in the name of protecting national interests, he advocated a peaceful solution and avoided bloodshed and sacrifices.
During his administration, Pakistan's ** phenomenon decreased and the economy grew. As a result of its efforts to cooperate with the United States in the fight against terrorism, Pakistan has earned some support and reputation among Western countries. In addition, actively cooperating with China, Pakistan has also established good diplomatic relations with the countries of the East.
It can be said that before those baseless accusations appeared, Musharraf's image at home and abroad was positive, and the public evaluated him as close, honest and enlightened.
However, the political wrestling has never stopped, and he may have a set of ways to govern the country, but when faced with the calculations of villains, he lacks strong political means to fight back.
Finally, on February 5, 2023, he passed away in Dubai with regret, and he never had a chance to return to his homeland.
His merits and demerits are left to the people of Pakistan to comment.
So, what do you think about this?