Former Pakistan army chief General Abdul Waheed Kakar died in Rawalpindi on Monday, October 26, the military's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.
Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and all ranks of the Pakistan Army expressed deep sorrow at his death, the statement said, paying tribute to the late general's distinguished career, leadership and services to the army, and offering condolences to his family.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed grief, with the prime minister praising Kakar's invaluable services to the armed forces. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said his service to Pakistan and the army would be remembered with the highest regard, while PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan praised his professional dedication.
Kakar served as army chief from January 1993 to January 1996. His tenure is best remembered for the 1993 political crisis, when he pressed then-president Ghulam Ishaq Khan and then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif to resign, paving the way for the 1993 general elections that brought Benazir Bhutto back to power.
He retired at the end of his term. Condolence messages continued to pour in from political and military circles after news of his death.