Islamabad, Feb 6: Pakistan's former president Pervez Musharraf on Sunday died in a Dubai hospital, the country's army said. He was 79. Musharraf had been undergoing treatment for an ailment at an American Hospital Dubai.

Speaking about the same, Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said former Pakistan president was "once an implacable foe of India" but became a "real force for peace" later on.

 

"'Pervez Musharraf, Former Pakistani President, Dies of Rare Disease': once an implacable foe of India, he became a real force for peace 2002-2007," Tharoor said in a tweet. "I met him annually in those days at the @un & found him smart, engaging & clear in his strategic thinking. RIP," he added.



Tharoor's social media post condoling his demise evoked a sharp response from the BJP. Tagging Tharoor's tweets, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "Pervez Musharraf architect of Kargil, dictator, accused of heinous crimes who considered Taliban & Osama as 'brothers' & 'heroes' who refused to even take back bodies of his own dead soldiers is being hailed by Congress! Are you surprised? Again, Congress ki pak parasti!"

"Once upon a time Musharraf had hailed Rahul Gandhi as a gentleman perhaps that endears Congress to Musharraf??" he said.

 

 

"From 370 to Surgical Strike to doubting Balakote Congress echoed Pak line & hails Musharraf but called our own chief 'Sadak Ka Gunda'..This is Congress!!" Poonawalla said.

In another tweet, the BJP leader shared an old video of Musharraf talking about his son being invited by Rahul Gandhi and Musharraf's wife, brother and son being invited for lunch by former prime minister Manmohan Singh when they were on a Delhi visit, during his tenure as the Pakistan president.

"Parvez Musharraf who had hailed Osama Bin Laden & Taliban had sung praises of Rahul Gandhi too - called him a gentleman and pledged his support to him!! Perhaps this is the reason why Shashi Tharoor is eulogising the architect of Kargil & a backer of terrorism!! Sigh," Poonawalla said in his tweet, tagging the video. 

 

Reports suggest that the former four-star general succumbed to 'Amyloidosis'. A rare disease, amyloidosis leads to abnormal deposition of some forms of proteins in various body tissues leading to organ damage.

 

 

The former president, living in Dubai since 2016, was facing a treason case for suspending the Constitution in 2007. He has been declared a fugitive in the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto murder case and Red Mosque cleric killing case.

 

Musharraf was Pakistan's army chief during the Kargil war between India and Pakistan. The conflict between the two countries is believed to have been orchestrated by Musharraf without the knowledge of the then Pakistan Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif.

 

Further, Musharraf became the tenth president of Pakistan after a successful military coup in 1999. Besides, he served as the 10th Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan (CJCSC) from 1998 to 2001 and the 7th top general from 1998 to 2007.