There is a reason why heads of state and government avoid writing tell all memoirs until after they are out of office. Writing the whole truth while still at the helm can undermine current policies. Diluting the truth with spin creates a credibility gap that affects the ability of the ruler/writer to negotiate in good faith with the various interlocutors at home and abroad.

General Pervez Musharraf’s recent international trip that took him to Cuba, the United States, Canada, and Britain coincided with the publication of his memoir In the Line of Fire. As a writer for Forbes magazine put it, “When it comes to the spotlight, Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf is a pro, and his skills were on display while marketing his memoir from the world’s most public platform last week.” Musharraf talked about his book at a White House press conference. He appeared on many TV shows and got written about in every international newspaper. But were these numerous media appearances a major achievement, as Musharraf’s apologists claim, or have they raised Musharraf’s profile at the expense of how the world perceives the Pakistani nation?

An autobiography is often a book of self-justification. But in justifying his actions and projecting his own image as a great leader, Musharraf’s book has stoked the fire of several controversies about Pakistan. Suddenly, the responsibility of Pakistani scientists in nuclear proliferation and the role of the ubiquitous Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) have once again become topics of global discourse with the publication of Musharraf’s memoir.

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