If it is almost unprecedented for a head of state to publish a memoir while still in office, Pervez Musharraf is no ordinary head of state. As the president of Pakistan since 1999, he occupies the most dangerous job in the world, and he continues to play a crucial role in the global war on terror. A former commando who was born just for years before the creation of Pakistan, Musharraf grew up with his country. He rose through army ranks, serving a bewildering succession of military and democratic regimes, and reached the apex of the world's most populous Islamic state at a time of growing Muslim militancy. A one-time supporter of the Taliban, a general who fought in several wars, President Musharraf took a decisive turn against militant Islam in 2001. Since then he has survived two assassination attempt; rooted out militants in his own government; helped direct countless raids against Al Qaeda both in his cities and in the mountains; and tracked Osama Bin Laden with technical and human intelligence.
When you hold the world's most dangerous job, you have little left to lose--and as a result 'In the Line of Fire' is astonishingly revealing and honest about dozens of topics of intense interest to the world. Among its many revelations: exactly how Pakistani authorities tracked down and smashed three major Al Qaeda command-and-control centres in the mountains; how Osama Bin Laden's communication network was breached, and how his subsequent courier network was compromised; why Bin Laden is no longer in charge of Al Qaeda, and yet why his capture is so sensitive; why the costs of the Iraq War have been so great for the west, and for moderate Muslims; what the interrogations of A.Q. Khan have revealed; what it has been like to deal with the Bush Administration; how Pakistan and India have avoided nuclear confrontation; and much more.
The terrible earthquake of 2005, killing nearly 40,000 Pakistanis, is just one chapter in a life and career that has been filled with danger and drama. The worldwide launch of President Musharraf's memoir promises to be a sensation.
