When Tikka Khan retired from the service, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had to appoint Malik as the Chief of the Army Staff.

This resulted in Zia's appointment as CASO and being superseded, Lt General Malik resigned from the military service.

[2] In 2008, he re-established his associations with Pakistan Muslim League (N) and supported Ayaz Amir in the politics than contesting general election for himself.

[7] The book contains detailed account of his life, Kargil War and how Pakistan conducted underground nuclear tests.

He wrote in his book that Pervez Musharraf conducted military operations confidentially and didn't reveal the truth to Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

The book future claims that when Musharraf spoke to Chinese military general to discuss 1999 conflict, his phone call was allegedly tapped by the Indian intelligence agencies.

The book also criticises Nawaz Sharif for appointing Ziauddin Butt as chief of army staff and unsuccessful attempts of dismissing Musharraf in 1999.

[8] In 2005, Malik had to contest district nazim election, however, his candidacy on the grounds of his alleged fake matriculation certificate was challenged in the Supreme Court of Pakistan by Chaudhry Aurangzeb Khan, controller of examination (certificate) of the University of the Punjab and Mirza Rafiuzzaman, Rawalpindi district returning officer.

Malik pleaded in his petition that returning officer had never produced reliable material to prove his alleged bogus certificate.

[9] In December 2005, the supreme court lifted the ban on his nomination paper[10] after the University of the Punjab declared his certificate valid.