Written in a direct, crisp military style, President General Pervez Musharraf's autobiography, "In the Line of Fire: A Memoir," is a candid account of his early life, education, his family, especially his ascent to power in a politically turbulent country – Pakistan. He writes in a rhetorical, though overly self-righteous style. Yet it is captivating in many ways. In his opinion, the main motivating force of writing this book is to set the record straight and to project Pakistan's image in its proper perspective. At the same time, however, his account is quite inevitably controversial from various perspectives. Some critics say that the book was timed and targeted for the Western audience, particularly the United States, before the November 2006 mid-term congressional elections. .
General Pervez Musharrraf's birth in Delhi and his family's migration to Karachi in the newly independent Pakistan make an interesting story. He talks about his family background as a troubled life and a feisty adulthood that he spent at Karachi. He confesses that in the early army life he was considered a casual, happy-go-lucky, 'confrontational officer rather than a serious professional' with an "overflowing record if indiscipline." However, he ascribes hard work and sound family values, together with good luck, as secrets of his success. With no martial background, General Pervez Musharraf was able to reach at the top in the army that attests to a generally fair selection and promotion system in the armed forces of Pakistan though political consideration do occasionally creep in. .
President Pervez Musharraf terms the October 1997 military take-over as a 'counter coup' against the 'real coup' of then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, when the latter tried to dismiss the former with 'indecent haste' while returning from abroad. In fact, his differences with Nawaz Sharif had unearthed much earlier and could be traced to the unceremonious dismissal of General Jehangir Karamat, Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan Army.
