In the Line of Fire: A Memoir of Pervez Musharraf

A Review by Ahmad Reza Taheri

      They (US, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia) helped created the Mujahidin, fired them with religious zeal in seminaries, armed them, paid them, fed them, and sent them to a jihad against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. 

General Pervez Musharraf (born 11 August 1943) was the 10^th president of Pakistan and the chief of army staff of Pakistan (1999-2008).

      In October 1999 Nawaz Sharif, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan tried to dismiss Musharraf from his position. He attempted to prevent Musharraf’s return to Pakistan from abroad by refusing to let his airplane land. The commercial airplane forced to circle the Karachi airport until army forces loyal to Musharraf took over the airport. Army forces also seized control of the government in a bloodless coup that lasted less than three hours. Soon after, Musharraf took power on 12 October 1999. He declared himself the chief executive of Pakistan, suspended the constitution, and dissolved the legislature. He appointed an eight-member national security council to function as the country’s supreme governing body. Nawaz Sharif was arrested and in April 2000 was convicted of abuse of power and other charges and sentenced to life imprisonment; his sentence was subsequently commuted and he was allowed to live in exile in Saudi Arabia. After assuming power, Musharraf’s military government adopted a reformist posture. It identified economic reform as the most urgent measure needed to restore the confidence of foreign and local investors. As part of this strategy, Musharraf initiated an ambitious program based on accountability, improved governance, and widening of the tax net. In 2001, Pakistan established itself as a vital US ally and key regional player after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. Musharraf’s cooperation with the United States evoked hostility from Islamic fundamentalist groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  

      Finally, on 18 August 2008, Musharraf resigned from the post of president under impeachment pressure from the coalition government. Asef Ali Zardari succeeded him on 6 September 2008.

      In the Line of Fire: A Memoir is a book that was written by Pervez Musharraf, the former president of Pakistan. The book contains a collection of Musharraf's memories and known as his official autobiography.

      Largely, the book has dealt with Musharraf’s political life. It tells us that being in politics especially on its peak, may lead a leader to adopt a tougher confrontation vis-a-vis different segments of his/her political society. This provides one with a state of frequent critical moments of how to react and make proper decisions. 

      Well, the first noteworthy issue is about Pakistan’s state before presidency of Musharraf, where lack of a proper political vision in Nawaz Sharif and his thirst for excessive power had unknowingly led him towards a political suicide. This allowed Pakistan to turn over a new chapter. General Musharraf with the help of his men escaped the air crash, and finally took the control of Pakistan. Although in army uniform, he turned up as a super politician, who saved Pakistan from severe foreign economic sanctions and perhaps from a military aggression. 

      Immediately after the 9/11 attacks in America, in his most undiplomatic and emotional statement, Richard Armitage (the deputy secretary of state) warned Musharraf (the president of Pakistan) that Pakistan has to decide; whether it is with America, or with the terrorists. "If Pakistan sided with the terrorists, then it should be prepared to be bombed back to the Stone Age". This is what US said to Pakistan before invasion of Afghanistan.

      This indeed was a real threat that could have virtually pushed Pakistan towards its fall. In fact, the fate and destiny of many Muslims both within and without Pakistan was hanging on Musharraf’s decision-making power.

      If Musharraf had not sided with America in its war against Taliban, Pakistan would have paid the price --- a likely collapse or rise of religious fundamentalism, to say the least. More importantly could have been the fatal strike on the image of Islam in the world.

      Fortunately, Musharraf avoided all of this. He canceled a probable war between Islam and the West by turning the wheel towards his national interest in particular and Muslim’s interest in general.

      Therefore, the outcome of his final decision so far has been generally positive for Pakistan. One can refer to the economic developments taken place under his presidency. What Pakistan inherited in 1999 and what it achieved by 2005? In short, some figures listed in the following manner.

Gross domestic product had risen from 65 $ billion to 125 $ billion --- almost double in five years. Overall foreign debt had been reduced from 39 $ billion to 36 $ billion. Per capita income had risen from 460 $ to 800 $. Foreign exchange reserves had risen from a partly 300 $ million to 12.5 $ billion. Exports were hitting 17 $ billion for 2006, whereas they were only 7.8 $ billion in 1999. Although the import was still more than the export earning, this rise in imports had been healthy and positive, because apart from the near doubling of demand for oil, most of the import expenditure was on capital goods.  In 1999, only thirty-nine cities in Pakistan had internet connection, while by 2006 two thousand cities and towns had internet connection. 

      Secondly, in his published memoir, Musharraf clearly had noted down that “they (US, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia) helped created the Mujahidin, fired them with religious zeal in seminaries, armed them, paid them, fed them, and sent them to a jihad against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.  The Taliban too, were not a new post-Soviet Union phenomenon. They were taught by the same teachers in the same seminaries that had produced the Mujahidin.” It is, indeed, what Dr. Samir Amin had elaborated much earlier in his paper "Political Islam."

      This clearly indicates that behind every political and social scene there is material/economic interest. Almost every form of political relationship based on material interest; material interest ignores and if necessary breaks its bans, whatsoever…!

      Furthermore, the book between the lines tells us factors such as baseless emotion, tradition, and radical form of religion do not work at all in international politics; what works better is rationality and flexibility. 

      Musharraf would like to convince the world particularly the Americans that the war on terrorism is not that much easy, as perhaps perceived by the Western powers. Pakistan on its own had done its best, but to overcome terrorism even in Pakistan itself is not the job of Pakistan alone, rather it is the responsibility of the international community through a collective obligation; more cooperation from international community in general and Western powers in particular is needed to combat terrorism.

      Thirdly, with reference to socio-cultural development, a very fundamental factor that may produce a hopeful result in the future is the policy of re-construction of seminaries in Pakistan --- putting an eye over the seminaries by encouraging them to register the institutions with the government, and bringing about a revolution in seminaries by introducing other subjects such as natural sciences. In theory, this sounds ideal but to what extent it can go, is dubious.   

      The other related issue, which can be seen in Pakistan, is the lack of democratic culture. Democracy, according to the western principles, hardly can find its role in a country like Pakistan, where its constitution has some fundamental contradictions with democracy in its true sense of the term, and where masses are mostly authoritarian. Democracy i.e. western democracy cannot be forced into another country of different socio-political structure. Democracy must first take its roots then it can grow. Otherwise, it would lead a society/country towards anarchy.

      For countries like Pakistan, as its history indicates, rulers like Musharraf are far better than the so-called democrats. Democracy may work in Pakistan only when people themselves prove they deserve it. To bring about a workable form of democracy the pre-condition is that every citizen must develop in itself the culture of democracy.

      The last, but not the least lesson, one can learn from this book is that dictators are different, depending upon their bases and institutions. There are dictators, who are dictator in their nature or mental set-up like Hitler. And, there are dictators, who are democrat in their nature or mental set up, but a given condition make them act like dictator; example can be taken of Musharraf himself. 

Notes

In the Line of Fire: A Memoir by Pervez Musharraf published by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2006. 

For more information about the history of Pakistan, see, the following references: Bennett Jones, Owen, Pakistan: Eye of the Storm, (Yale University Press, 2002). A former BBC correspondent looks at the divisions that tear Pakistan apart. Blood, Peter, ed., Pakistan: A Country Study, (6th ed. Federal Research Division, L.O.C., 1995). It is an overview of history, society, economy, government, and politics. Burki, Shahid Javed, Pakistan: Fifty Years of Nationhood, (3rd ed. Westview, 1999). It is a detailed study of Pakistan's turbulent development as a nation. Burki, Shahid Javed, Historical Dictionary of Pakistan, (2nd ed. Scarecrow, 1999). It provides historical context for Pakistan's beginnings and development as a nation. Hussain, Jane, A History of the People of Pakistan: Toward Independence, (Oxford University Press, 1998). It covers the history of Pakistan from prehistoric times to independence from British rule. Talbot, Ian., Pakistan: A Modern History, (St. Martin's, 1999). It is a study from 1947 to the 1990s. Weaver, Mary Anne., Pakistan: In the Shadow of Jihad and Afghanistan, (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2002). New Yorker writer Weaver describes a country in turmoil at the center of terrorist activity. Weston, Mark, The Land and People of Pakistan, (HarperCollins, 1992). It explores Pakistan's geography, ethnicity, history, politics, and culture. Saeed Shafqat, "Pakistan", Microsoft ® Encarta ® Reference Library 2005. © 1993-2004 Microsoft Corporation.