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Journalism of Courage
The one thing nobody can accuse President Pervez Musharraf of, is being short on words. And we have 368 pages of general-speak 8212; okay, okay, some of it may be ghost-written 8212; to prove this. For this general turn under the strobe lights, publishers Simon and Schuster has spared no effort. An appearance on 8216;60 minutes8217;, a pop-up in the 8216;Today Show8217;, a slot in 8216;The Daily Show with Jon Stewart8217;, and all manner of New York grandees invited to the launch ceremony. Thus does our friendly general next door metamorphose into the toast of Big Apple; thus does yesterday8217;s coup leader emerge as today8217;s favourite dictator. So eat your heart out, Nawaz Sharif.
Notice the Hollywood heading, In the Line of Fire, which recalls Clint Eastwood8217;s In Line with Fire. But the title, we believe, is a bit misleading. The whole point about Musharraf8217;s unique brand of success is that he always found himself 8212; whether by design or by divine intervention 8212; always out of the line of fire. A pink slip from a lawfully elected president turned into a providential putsch. Assassination bids always missed their target by a hair8217;s breadth. Political opposition, when threatened at one point to unseat him, magically melted away. For the seven years since the fateful 1999, Musharraf has lived a charmed existence, helped in part by the 9/11 moment which saw him being projected as a crucial actor in the war against terror.
