In the Line of Fire by Pervez Musharraf
(Simon & Schuster, £18.99)
General Pervez Musharraf is a busy man. He is preparing for 2007, when, if all goes well for him, elections will extend his seven-year quasi-military rule for a further five. He doesn’t want to stay president because he’s power-hungry; it’s just that no one else can reform Pakistan. Who else can keep fanatical Islamic radicals at bay while making the economy soar? “Democratic dictatorship,” he says, is what the country needs.
This narrative has sold well in the US, where Musharraf’s recent book tour—complete with an entourage of 70—was a roaring success. His memoir has already attracted a huge readership, but it is not an edifying piece of literature. We learn that the “precocious” young Musharraf turned into a valiant commando who “should have received two awards for gallantry,” not one. He declares that, as an officer, “my seniors recognised me as an exceptional leader,” while “I have always been loved by those under my command.”
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