Pakistan’s former President, General Pervez Musharraf, died at 79yo in the United Arab Emirates overnight, where he’d been living in self-imposed exile since 2016. He had been suffering from a rare disease called amyloidosis, which affected the functioning of his organs. Musharraf seized power during a coup in 1999 but became a key US ally against al Qaeda after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, where he was known as President George W Bush’s “best buddy”. He served as president from then until 2008, surviving multiple assassination attempts. Musharraf was praised for boosting the economy with foreign investment and cracking down on militants but criticised for not giving up his military ties and squashing any political dissent. Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif expressed his “condolences and sympathy to the family”. The former leader’s body will be flown to Pakistan for burial today.