Pervez Musharraf

General Pervez Musharraf ({{lang-ur| ????? ????}}; born August 11, 1943, Near Delhi, India) became de facto Head of Government (using the title Chief Executive and assuming extensive powers) of Pakistan on October 12, 1999 following a bloodless coup d'état. He assumed the office of President of Pakistan (becoming Head of State) on June 20, 2001.

Coup d'état and election as President of Pakistan

The Nawaz Sharif administration

In 1997, Nawaz Sharif was elected Prime Minister after his party, the Pakistan Muslim League won the national elections with a large majority. Sharif's party obtained enough seats in parliament to change the constitution, which he amended to eliminate the formal checks and balances that restrained the Prime Minister's power. The Prime Minister defeated challenges to his growing power, led by the civilian President Farooq Leghari and Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, both of whom were forced to resign - the Chief Justice did so after the Supreme Court was stormed by Sharif partisans. After army chief Jehangir Karamat proposed the creation of a National Security Council to serve as a forum for interaction between top civilian leaders and the chiefs of the armed services, he too was dismissed by Nawaz Sharif, and Musharraf was appointed in his place.

Related Topics:
1997 - Nawaz Sharif - Pakistan Muslim League - Parliament - Constitution - Amended - Checks and balances - President - Farooq Leghari - Chief Justice - Sajjad Ali Shah - Jehangir Karamat

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Coup d'état

On 12 October, 1999, Sharif attempted to dismiss Musharraf and install ISI director Khwaja Ziauddin in his place. Musharraf, who was out of the country, boarded a commercial airliner to return to Pakistan. Senior Army generals refused to accept Musharraf's dismissal. Sharif ordered the Karachi airport to prevent the landing of the airliner, which then circled the skies over Karachi. In a coup, the generals ousted Sharif's administration and took over the airport. The plane landed with only a few minutes of fuel to spare, and Musharraf assumed control of the government. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was put under house arrest and later exiled. The existing President of Pakistan, Rafiq Tarar, remained in office until June 2001. Musharraf formally made himself President on June 20, 2001, just days before his scheduled visit for Agra Talks with India.

Related Topics:
12 October - 1999 - ISI - Coup - Nawaz Sharif - President of Pakistan - Rafiq Tarar - June 20 - 2001

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Supreme Court orders elections. Referendum held

On May 12, 2000 the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered Musharraf to hold general elections by October 12, 2002. In an attempt to legitimize his presidency and assure its continuance after the approaching restoration of democracy, he held a referendum on April 30, 2002, which extended his presidential term to a period ending five years after the October elections. However, the referendum was boycotted by the majority of Pakistani political groupings, and voter turnout was 30% or below by most estimates.

Related Topics:
May 12 - 2000 - Supreme Court of Pakistan - October 12 - 2002 - Referendum - April 30

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

General elections were held in October, 2002 and the newly created PML-Q, a pro-Musharraf party, won a plurality of the seats in the Parliament. However, parties opposed to Musharraf effectively paralyzed the National Assembly for over a year. The deadlock ended in December 2003, when Musharraf made a deal with the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal party, agreeing to leave the army on December 31, 2004. With that party's support, pro-Musharraf legislators were able to muster the two-thirds supermajority required to pass the Seventeenth Amendment, which retroactively legalized Musharraf's 1999 coup and many of his subsequent decrees.

Related Topics:
PML-Q - Plurality - Parliament - National Assembly - Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal - December 31 - 2004 - Supermajority - Seventeenth Amendment

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Electoral College victory

In a vote of confidence on January 1, 2004, Musharraf won 658 out of 1,170 votes in the Electoral College of Pakistan, and according to Article 41(8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, was "deemed to be elected" to the office of President until October 2007.

Related Topics:
Vote of confidence - January 1 - Electoral College of Pakistan - Constitution of Pakistan - 2007

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~