Dhaka, Nov. 1 -- Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan, Pakistan's first military dictator, seized power in a coup on 27 October 1958, held on to it till 25 March 1969 and died in April 1974. All these decades later, it is as good a time as any to look back at the legacy of the man and indeed the psychology which defined his dominance of Pakistan.

Ayub Khan's diares, covering the period 1966-1972, edited and annotated by Craig Baxter, were published by the University Press Limited some years ago. When one speaks or hears of these diaries, incredulity is what one is struck by. There is a reason for that. When towards the end of his decade-long presidency of Pakistan in the 1960s he came forth with his memoirs, bearing the brave title of Friend...