General Pervez Musharraf

Essay by pudortuHigh School, 12th gradeB+, April 2008

download word file, 11 pages 3.0

In a world full of terrors and nightmares, there is no greater imminent danger than the prospect of chaos in Pakistan. With Islamic extremists and sympathizers gaining access to nuclear weapons, America’s greatest hope against terrorism may lay in the hands of one man. Standing between the order of the country and calamity of nations is General Pervez Musharraf, the president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Being one of the few world leaders to recognize the Taliban, General Musharraf has been a great ally in the war against terrorism (7). After the tragic events of 9/11, Musharraf made a snap decision to side with the U.S. in the not-yet-named global war on terrorism, despite his country's longtime support for the Taliban (1). General Pervez Musharraf has lead a fascinating life, both in military and political aspects, which have lead many to believe he is one of the most important people, albeit one of the most controversial, in the world.

Pervez Musharraf was born into a family of civil servants on August 11th, 1943. Ironically, he was born in city of Delhi in British India (5). After the split of British India into Pakistan and India, Musharraf's family migrated to Pakistan where his father, Syed Musharraf Uddin who joined the Pakistani Foreign Service. Uddin would later become the Secretary of foreign affairs (5). He recently revealed in a press conference that when he was a child, he fell from a mango tree. This was his first experience with death, an experience that, as Musharraf said, helped to mature him (2). It would certainly not be his last. These events are extremely important in the life of Musharraf because they eject him from a life of certain servitude into a military and political mindset.

Musharraf did his early education...