Pervez Musharraf

General Pervez Musharraf became ruler of Pakistan in 1999. Immediately prior to this, he was head of the army. He seized power in a military coup, placing the previous prime minister Nawaz Sharif[?] under house arrest, in October 1999 and formally became President of the country on June 20, 2001.

Early Life

Musharraf was born in 1943 in what is now India. He moved with his parents to Pakistan in 1947. He was trained as a commando and fought in two wars against India.

Coup

On December 22, 1998, the Pakistani government sent 30,000 troops to occupy the nation's power stations. This helped give the military control over the economy.

Politics

Musharraf is considered a moderate leader by Western governments because he is willing to deal with the West. He has been open to making economic reforms and to modernize Pakistan. He is considered to be secular, and his rise to power was marked by a widespread purge of Islamist elements within the military and security forces.

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 Musharraf has worked closely with American President George W. Bush in the War on Terror.