People You Should Know: Pervez Musharraf

Pervez Musharraf

- President of Pakistan and Chief of Army of the Pakistan Army.
- came to power in the wake of a coup d'etat and suspended the constitution twice; since coming to power he has been supported by western countries including the US. He took power on October12, 1999, ousting Nawaz Sharif, the elected Prime Minister, thereby assuming the title of Chief Executive. Later on, he assumed the office of President.
- November 3, 2007, he as Chief of Army Staff, suspended the constitution, jailed the Supreme Court of Pakistan Judges and closed all private television channels. He declared an emergency, however, he had in effect imposed martial law in Pakistan.
- January 12, 2002, Musharraf gave a landmark speech against "Islamic extremism". He unequivocally condemned all acts of terrorism and pledged to combat Islamic extremism and lawlessness within Pakistan itself.
- For an overview of the economy, corruption allegations, poverty alleviation, and relations with foreign nations check out the Wiki entry for Musharraf.