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Pervez Musharraf
President of Pakistan
Live Webcast February 14, 2002, 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT
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Despite the risk of unrest at home, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf threw his full backing behind the U.S. war on terrorism following the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. He is also cooperating in the manhunt for terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, who enjoys a substantial following in the South Asian country.
Musharraf has also been in the news since Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped in Pakistan Jan. 23. During a meeting with President Bush Wednesday, Musharraf said he was "reasonably sure" that Pearl is still alive.
Musharraf, 58, has faced down many an adversary during his long military and political career. When then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif fired Musharraf from his post as joint chiefs of staff chairman 1999, he responded by leading the coup that toppled Sharif from power. He quickly took bold steps on the economy and foreign policy. He imposed new tax codes and cracked down on money- laundering schemes. Musharraf also withdrew troops from the border with India and launched new efforts to ease tensions with the neighboring rival.
Musharraf was born August 11, 1943, in New Delhi, India, and moved to Karachi when India won independence and the state of Pakistan was created. During his father's diplomatic service, Musharraf and his family lived in Turkey from 1949-1956. Musharraf attended Saint Patrick's High School in Karachi and Lahore's Forman Christian College.
In 1961, Musharraf joined the Pakistan Military Academy and saw his first active duty in 1965. Musharraf moved up the ranks and was made a major general in 1991 and a lieutenant general in 1995. His career took off in 1998, when he was named the army's chief of staff and six months later chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.
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