This is a revolutionary book which has been written by an army officer with a lot of candid views of his career spread around forty years in the army and as the head of National Accountability Bureau after his retirement. The author is also related to President Musharraf as Musharraf's son is married to Shahid Aziz's brother's daughter. The first thing to strike me was the choice of language adopted to write his autobiography, which is Urdu rather than the 99.9% other retired generals and civil servants who have chosen English as their medium. The general has also laced his book around the revolutionary poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz which I suspect was one the the major reasons why Urdu has chosen.
This book gripped me right from the start, as the real strength is the author's descriptions of his own life events, starting from his college days right down to his resignation as the head of NAB, were really well presented and absorbing. I was impressed by the author's justifications for a majority of his decisions with the context well defined. I also found none of the customary egoistical self glorification demonstrated by many generals and high ranked civil servant autobiographies which is very pleasing indeed, but unfortunately the general looses the plot completely in blaming the Free Masons and 'elders of Zion' as the main architects of the current world order. If Israel was a master stroke of the Free Masons and Zionists than how did Pakistan come into being General sahib?
I am indebted to the general for restoring my pride into the great Pakistan army with his mention of a great number of unsung heroes and their wonderful tales of truth and bravery. Indeed the Pakistan army has a great deal to feel proud of, and the pivotal role played by the junior officers and soldiers on a daily basis has to be highlighted, which this book has managed to portray very favourably.
The book can do with some serious editing as it is very repetitive with the romantic general long and hyperbolic paragraphs talking about a failed system over and over again. The real material in the book is the depiction of army's culture, steeped in obsequiousness, and suaveness to a great degree. I also did not agree with good general's suggestion for the formation of an elite group of Pakistan elders in order correct the failed system, (akin to the Elders of Zion maybe). Instead, the system will evolve with enough elections where people will eventually learn the power of their vote, in my humble opinion. There was also no point in trying to get behind Shariah which no one has any experience of for at least a thousand years.
This book together with Musharraf's 'In the line of fire' make a great reading, juxtaposing the a liberal, western view with a conservative Islamic reformist view, as I would not place the general as a fundamentalist.
I would highly recommend everyone to read this book, instead of watching his interviews on YouTube.
This book gripped me right from the start, as the real strength is the author's descriptions of his own life events, starting from his college days right down to his resignation as the head of NAB, were really well presented and absorbing. I was impressed by the author's justifications for a majority of his decisions with the context well defined. I also found none of the customary egoistical self glorification demonstrated by many generals and high ranked civil servant autobiographies which is very pleasing indeed, but unfortunately the general looses the plot completely in blaming the Free Masons and 'elders of Zion' as the main architects of the current world order. If Israel was a master stroke of the Free Masons and Zionists than how did Pakistan come into being General sahib?
I am indebted to the general for restoring my pride into the great Pakistan army with his mention of a great number of unsung heroes and their wonderful tales of truth and bravery. Indeed the Pakistan army has a great deal to feel proud of, and the pivotal role played by the junior officers and soldiers on a daily basis has to be highlighted, which this book has managed to portray very favourably.
The book can do with some serious editing as it is very repetitive with the romantic general long and hyperbolic paragraphs talking about a failed system over and over again. The real material in the book is the depiction of army's culture, steeped in obsequiousness, and suaveness to a great degree. I also did not agree with good general's suggestion for the formation of an elite group of Pakistan elders in order correct the failed system, (akin to the Elders of Zion maybe). Instead, the system will evolve with enough elections where people will eventually learn the power of their vote, in my humble opinion. There was also no point in trying to get behind Shariah which no one has any experience of for at least a thousand years.
This book together with Musharraf's 'In the line of fire' make a great reading, juxtaposing the a liberal, western view with a conservative Islamic reformist view, as I would not place the general as a fundamentalist.
I would highly recommend everyone to read this book, instead of watching his interviews on YouTube.
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