ISLAMABAD, Oct 6 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Saturday secured votes from the overwhelming majority of parliamentarins in the presidential election.According to unofficial result out of 257 votes, the President secured 252 votes against 2 by Justice (Retd) Wajihuddin and 3 that were rejected in the National Assembly and the Senate.
The PPP abstained from voting and its candidate Amin Faheem could not get any vote.
The Supreme Court on Friday gave a go ahead to the Oct 6 Presidential election, but barred issuance of a notification in this regard, till the final decision on the petitions challenging President Musharraf’s candidature.
Pervez Musharraf, the son of middle class, educated and working parents, who migrated from India on creation of Pakistan was born on August 11, 1943 in Delhi, India.
Musharraf received his early education from Saint Patrick’s School in Karachi after his family migrated to Pakistan. He joined the Forman Christian College in Lahore and also studied in Turkey.
Musharraf joined Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul in 1961 and was commissioned in 1964 in the (16 SP) Self Propelled artillery unit.
Later, he joined Special Services Group and was posted to Field Artillery Regiments.
A graduate of the Staff College, Quetta, and the National Defence College, Rawalpindi, Musharraf also studied at the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom.
Musharraf participated in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 16 (SP) Field Artillery Regiment. Later, during the Indo-Pakistan War in 1971, he served as a Company Commander in the SSG Commando Battalion.
On promotion to the rank of Major General on January 15, 1991, he was assigned the command of an Infantry Division. On promotion to Lieutenant General on October 21, 1995, he took over command of 1 Corps, the elite strike Corps.
In 1998, following the resignation of General Jehangir Karamat, he was promoted over other senior officers by the than Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and took over as Chief of the Army Staff.
General Musharraf came into power on October 12, 1999 as Chief Executive.
On May 12, 2000, the Supreme Court ordered Musharraf to hold General Election by October 12, 2002.
Musharraf held a referendum on April 30, 2002 to extend the presidential term to five years after the October election.
General election was held in October 2002 and the PML-Q won majority seats.
The seven-year rule of Musharraf government is regarded by the experts as an era of economic and social reforms, where he empowered the women and granted freedom to media.