In the Line of Fire-A Memoir
So the other day, i was reading the (in)famous autobiography from Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf-In the line of fire- A Memoir.The book has already been in controversy since its launch last year.People from different sections and different countries voiced their protests against the incidents mentioned in the book thereby giving the book a notorious fame.So that also created an interest in me to read that book.Incidently, the name of the book coincides with an English movie about a psychopath who tries to kill US president.
Uptil now, I have read about half the book but have found it very difficult to digest it even after going thru the first 50 pages. No, the language is very easy to understand,infact, i think a normal 12th grade Indian english student can easily give the Prez a run for his "language".wat was difficult was the content part.
The book starts with a thanks to God for saving his life atleast 6-7 times uptil now. A prime example of the phrase "allah meherbaan to gadha pehelwaan". Then he describes his strenous journey from India to Pakistan during Partition and continues the story till date.In the process, he describes the events that took place in his life.He describes how a mediocre child transforms into one of the most coveted brains of Pakistan with successes in every field he steps into.His story of bravery starts when he was 5 and continues till date.He was one of the toughest boys and used to lead street gangs(no pun intended!!).
So later, the lad joins the army and climbs up the ladder due to his bravery and leadership skills. he mentions how the Paki army thrashed the Indian army in the 1965 war...ironically something which even the retired Paki army generals have jeered at."ek limit hoti hai chodne ki". he rarely mentions of the 1971 war..here also partly blames India for the second partition.and then comes the kargil war( a complete chapter to this) and needless to say,in the terms of the Prez, the so called mujahideens successfully dented the Indian army security cover and easily forced India on the backfoot and it was only because Nawaz Sharif accepted the ceasefire at Washington that shifted the defeat claims across the border.He insists that India has always suffered heavy losses whenever she encounterd the Pakis. Fortunately, he accepts that his military was no match to the US one when he was threatened by Colin Powell to be bombed back to Stone Age after 9/11.After reading the book, i feel that it would be nearly impossible for any country to have a soldier as brave and as successful as our dear Musharraf...Lucky Paki army!! And no wonder he claims the Pakistan Military Academy to be the best in the world....the field decided could be negotiated!!
He mentions how thru his leadership skills he inspired the young guns under him and instilled in them the confidence and the will to win.No matter where he was posted, success would always be at his feet. one instance of his skills is worth mentioning.he was in command of a regiment called "Men in Crisis". The unit was known for its bravery but though somehow lacked in sports.It performed badly in almost every sport it played. But after assuming command, our lieutenant colonel did the impossible...he transformed the team from a bunch of losers to winners of the championships in just one year...wat a great stride!! i wonder how he cud not meld the Paki cricket team into a team...may be the guys do not have in them..not our Prez's fault!!
The Prez then mentions how he reached the top of the ladder in the army and how he became President of Pakistan which was about to be declared as a defaulted state, which was overburdened with debt and corruption was at its peak thanks to the existing "democracy" and the corrupt political leaders like Nawaz Sharif and Benezar Bhutto and later how he transformed it into one of the fastest growing economies in the world through his terrific leadership skills.
The general remembers the dates of even minute events that happened 20-25 years back or even more...and at some places even the time in minutes(fortunately, not seconds!!)...this is something which any girl boasts of but here also, he can give her a tough fight and she would certainly have something to learn from the Prez.
At different times while reading, i felt of throwing away the buk filled with so much jactitation..but its the "charm" of Pervez Musharraf which forces me to continue reading it.
I somehow have managed to reach upto this point...it would be a wonder if i complete it.the book is 350 pages of complete self praise...about a person who never failed in his life(atleast the book story implies so..)...about a person who reached astonishing heights in whatever he did.Again its no wonder that the book was scoffed at by a large section of society even within his country.It is a must read for die hard every Musharraf fan or even for every strong critic..
Uptil now, I have read about half the book but have found it very difficult to digest it even after going thru the first 50 pages. No, the language is very easy to understand,infact, i think a normal 12th grade Indian english student can easily give the Prez a run for his "language".wat was difficult was the content part.
The book starts with a thanks to God for saving his life atleast 6-7 times uptil now. A prime example of the phrase "allah meherbaan to gadha pehelwaan". Then he describes his strenous journey from India to Pakistan during Partition and continues the story till date.In the process, he describes the events that took place in his life.He describes how a mediocre child transforms into one of the most coveted brains of Pakistan with successes in every field he steps into.His story of bravery starts when he was 5 and continues till date.He was one of the toughest boys and used to lead street gangs(no pun intended!!).
So later, the lad joins the army and climbs up the ladder due to his bravery and leadership skills. he mentions how the Paki army thrashed the Indian army in the 1965 war...ironically something which even the retired Paki army generals have jeered at."ek limit hoti hai chodne ki". he rarely mentions of the 1971 war..here also partly blames India for the second partition.and then comes the kargil war( a complete chapter to this) and needless to say,in the terms of the Prez, the so called mujahideens successfully dented the Indian army security cover and easily forced India on the backfoot and it was only because Nawaz Sharif accepted the ceasefire at Washington that shifted the defeat claims across the border.He insists that India has always suffered heavy losses whenever she encounterd the Pakis. Fortunately, he accepts that his military was no match to the US one when he was threatened by Colin Powell to be bombed back to Stone Age after 9/11.After reading the book, i feel that it would be nearly impossible for any country to have a soldier as brave and as successful as our dear Musharraf...Lucky Paki army!! And no wonder he claims the Pakistan Military Academy to be the best in the world....the field decided could be negotiated!!
He mentions how thru his leadership skills he inspired the young guns under him and instilled in them the confidence and the will to win.No matter where he was posted, success would always be at his feet. one instance of his skills is worth mentioning.he was in command of a regiment called "Men in Crisis". The unit was known for its bravery but though somehow lacked in sports.It performed badly in almost every sport it played. But after assuming command, our lieutenant colonel did the impossible...he transformed the team from a bunch of losers to winners of the championships in just one year...wat a great stride!! i wonder how he cud not meld the Paki cricket team into a team...may be the guys do not have in them..not our Prez's fault!!
The Prez then mentions how he reached the top of the ladder in the army and how he became President of Pakistan which was about to be declared as a defaulted state, which was overburdened with debt and corruption was at its peak thanks to the existing "democracy" and the corrupt political leaders like Nawaz Sharif and Benezar Bhutto and later how he transformed it into one of the fastest growing economies in the world through his terrific leadership skills.
The general remembers the dates of even minute events that happened 20-25 years back or even more...and at some places even the time in minutes(fortunately, not seconds!!)...this is something which any girl boasts of but here also, he can give her a tough fight and she would certainly have something to learn from the Prez.
At different times while reading, i felt of throwing away the buk filled with so much jactitation..but its the "charm" of Pervez Musharraf which forces me to continue reading it.
I somehow have managed to reach upto this point...it would be a wonder if i complete it.the book is 350 pages of complete self praise...about a person who never failed in his life(atleast the book story implies so..)...about a person who reached astonishing heights in whatever he did.Again its no wonder that the book was scoffed at by a large section of society even within his country.It is a must read for die hard every Musharraf fan or even for every strong critic..
posted by atul lakhotia at
8:02 PM
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2 Comments
