Shaharyar Khan, a seasoned diplomat and former head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), departed this life early on Saturday in Lahore. He was eighty-nine.
The diplomat, who served in the foreign ministry from 1957 to 1994 in a variety of capacities, including high commissioner, ambassador, and foreign secretary, was honored by the Foreign Office for his “monumental services in protecting Pakistan’s diplomatic interests.”
Khan, according to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was a seasoned diplomat who did a “great job in promoting Pakistan’s relations with other countries.”
The PM said that Khan had “superbly” advanced Pakistan’s foreign policy interests throughout his posts as high commissioner and ambassador. Khan had also “magnificently” carried out his duties as PCB chairperson on several occasions.
Khan’s contributions to Pakistani cricket and diplomacy, according to the prime minister, will never be forgotten.
As the PCB chief and diplomat, Khan served the nation with “great distinction,” according to Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who also added that he would be deeply missed.
Muhammad Syrus Qazi, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary, expressed his profound sadness over Khan’s loss and called him “one of Pakistan’s finest diplomats.”
According to Qazi, the departed had left a “rich legacy of accomplishment and safeguarding and advancing Pakistan’s interests.”
Khan was praised as a “legendary public servant who served Pakistan with utmost dedication” by Pakistan’s representation to the UN, which said his passing was a big loss to the nation.
Khan held positions as ambassador to France, the UK, and Jordan. In 1994, he was designated as the special representative of the UN secretary-general in Rwanda. In 1950, he and his mother, Princess Abida Sultaan, who was the daughter of Bhopal Hamidullah Khan’s Nawab, moved to Pakistan.
The PCB also conveyed its profound grief and sorrow over the passing of its previous chairman, who held the position for two terms.
According to a PCB statement, he was the board chairman from August 2014 to August 2017 and from December 2003 to October 2006.
According to the news release, Shaharyar Khan also served as the Pakistan National Men’s team’s manager for the 1999 tour of India and the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup.
The board wishes to always remember Shaharyar Khan as one of the key figures in bringing cricket back to Pakistan over the past ten years, and it sent its “heartfelt condolences to his family on his sad demise,” according to the statement.
“On behalf of the PCB, I express my deep condolences and grief over the passing of former Chairman Shaharyar Khan,” PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi stated in a press release. He gave Pakistan Cricket his all as an administrator and was a good man.
Shaharyar Khan was quoted in the news release as stating, “Pakistan Cricket will always be indebted to him for his wonderful role as head of the board and for his services in the growth and development of the game in the country.”
Recalling Khan’s many activities in Pakistan, renowned scholar, policy expert, and president of World Wildlife Fund International Dr. Adil Najam praised Khan as a “wonderfully warm and affectionate human being.”
In addition to expressing grief over the passing, senior Congressman Shashi Tharoor listed noteworthy facets of the deceased’s life, including his status as a member of the Bhopal royal family and his collaboration with an Indian politician on the book “Shadows Across the Playing Field,” which chronicles the history of cricket between India and Pakistan from Partition to 2009.
“He will be deeply mourned in India. He was a fine human being, a refined intellect, and a genuine advocate of good neighborly relations between our countries.”
