Dubai: Pakistan’s former military dictator General Pervez Musharraf is hospitalised in the UAE after his condition deteriorated as he is going through a “difficult stage where recovery is not possible”, his family said amid speculation about his well-being. Musharraf, 78, ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008.
His family issued a statement on Twitter and said that he is “not on the ventilator”. “(He) has been hospitalised for the last 3 weeks due to a complication of his ailment (amyloidosis). Going through a difficult stage where recovery is not possible and organs are malfunctioning,” Musharraf's family said.
Amyloidosis is a rare disease that occurs when an abnormal protein builds up in organs and interferes with the normal function.
Earlier, his close aide and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry said Musharraf is critical and on ventilator support in a UAE hospital. He said he spoke to Musharraf’s son who confirmed his illness. Chaudhry, who was the information minister in the Imran Khan government, was once a media spokesperson for Musharraf.
Musharraf came to power in a bloodless coup in 1999, deposing the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Facing impeachment following elections in 2008, Musharraf was forced to resign as president and went into self-imposed exile in Dubai.
