ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former military ruler General (r) Pervez Musharraf may not return to his home country any time soon, said one of his close confidants on Saturday, since doctors have asked him to avoid air travel.
Musharraf came into power in a bloodless coup in 1999 after former prime minister Nawaz Sharif tried to dismiss him as army chief. After ruling the country for almost a decade, he was put on a treason trial and sentenced to death in absentia for violating the constitution.
Prior to that, however, Musharraf had left Pakistan in 2016 to seek medical treatment in the United Arab Emirates. He has lived in the Arab country since then, though it was said more recently that he was in a critical condition and wanted to return to Pakistan.
In a conversation to a local newspaper, his former principal secretary, Tariq Aziz, said that “Musharraf was keen to return home but his doctors were coming in the way.”
He informed that the UAE government was prepared to provide him a wide-bodied Boeing-777 plane by converting it into an air ambulance, but the doctors were advising him against air travel.
“Aziz said that the former president was admitted to a state-of-the-art hospital in the UAE,” The News wrote. “A competent team of doctors was attending to him but staying away from the motherland was causing him uneasiness.”
Aziz, who became friends with Musharraf in the college, said he was in touch with the former general’s family in the UAE.
In the last few days, Pakistan’s top civil and military leaders have said that Musharraf should be allowed to return to the country, though there are several politicians and civil society activists who have been demanding his accountability.
Aziz said that Musharraf was grateful to all those who had prayed for his health despite their political differences with him.
Musharraf advised against flying back to Pakistan due to medical reasons — media
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Musharraf advised against flying back to Pakistan due to medical reasons — media
- According to one of his close confidants, the UAE is willing to provide the former general an air ambulance
- Tariq Aziz says a competent team of doctors is looking after Musharraf in the Middle Eastern country
Pakistan Air Force conducts ‘Exercise Golden Eagle’ to test combat readiness, agility
- The exercise follows an intense, four-day Pakistan-India military conflict in May 2025
- It focused on AI-enabled operations integrating disruptive technologies, military says
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has conducted “Exercise Golden Eagle” that successfully validated its combat readiness and operational agility through synchronized employment of the PAF’s complete combat potential, the Pakistani military said on Tuesday.
It comes months after Pakistan’s four-day military conflict with India in May, with Islamabad claiming victory in the standoff after the PAF claimed to have shot down at least six Indian fighter aircraft, including the French-made Rafale. New Delhi acknowledged some losses but did not specify a number.
The exercise was conducted on a Two-Force construct, focusing on AI-enabled, net-centric operations while integrating indigenous niche, disruptive and smart technologies in line with evolving regional security dynamics, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
Operating within a robust Integrated Air Defense System, friendly forces shaped the battlespace through seamless fusion of kinetic operations with cyber, space and electro-magnetic spectrum operations.
“The kinetic phase featured First-Shoot, First-Kill swing-role combat aircraft equipped with long-range BVR air-to-air missiles, extended-range stand-off weapons and precision strike capabilities, supported by Airborne Early Warning & Control platforms and Air-to-Air Refuelers,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“A key highlight of the exercise was Manned–Unmanned Teaming, with deep-reach killer drones and loitering munitions operating in a highly contested, congested and degraded environment, validating PAF’s capability to conduct high-tempo operations in modern warfare.”
In recent months, many countries have stepped up defense engagement with Pakistan, while delegations from multiple nations have proposed learning from the PAF’s multi-domain air warfare capabilities that officials say were successfully employed during the May conflict.
“The successful conduct of Exercise Golden Eagle reaffirms Pakistan Air Force’s unwavering commitment to maintaining a high state of operational preparedness, leveraging indigenous innovation and effectively countering emerging and future security challenges,” the ISPR added.
