Former foreign secretary and chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Shaharyar Mohammad Khan passed away after a protracted illness in Lahore on Saturday morning. He was 89 years old.
Shaharyar Khan rushed to a hospital after his condition deteriorated at 4:30 am where he breathed his last. He left behind a widow and four children to mourn his death. Shaharyar Khan was a seasoned diplomat and had served as Pakistan’s foreign secretary. He had also served as manager of the national cricket team and remained PCB chairman twice.
Shaharyar Khan will be buried in Karachi today. He came from a large sporting family. The senior Nawab of Pataudi was his uncle, and the junior Nawab – Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi – was his first cousin. In August 2014, Shaharyar Khan took over as PCB chairman again. Born in 1934, late Shaharyar Khan had joined the Foreign Service in 1957 and served till his his retirement as foreign secretary in 1994. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, in a statement condoled over Khan’s death who “served Pakistan with great distinction both as a diplomat and Chairman PCB.” “He will be greatly missed,” Dar said and prayed to Allah to grant him a higher place in Jannah and solace to his family and friends.
Foreign Office paid tribute to the ex-ambassador and high commissioner and honoured his “monumental services in protecting Pakistan’s diplomatic interests”. In a post on X, Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Qazi said he was deeply saddened by Khan’s passing and lauded him as “one of Pakistan’s finest diplomats.” Qazi said Khan left behind a “rich legacy of accomplishment and protecting and promoting Pakistan’s interests”.
He had earlier served as Ambassador to Jordan and France as well as High Commissioner to London. From 1994 to 1996, he served in Rwanda as special representative to the UN Secretary General overseeing peacekeeping operations. A passionate cricketer, Shaharyar Khan had two stints as chairman, between 2003 and 2006 and then 2014 to 2017. Federal Interior Minister and Chairman of PCB Mohsin Naqvi, expressing grief on passing of Khan and remembered him as “a fine administrator” who served Pakistan Cricket with “utmost dedication.”
“Pakistan Cricket will stay indebted to the late Shaharyar Khan for his commendable role as head of the board and for his services in the growth and development of the game in the country,” Naqvi added. Shaharyar Khan took over from Gen Tauqir Zia as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board in December 2003. In 2004 he appointed Bob Woolmer as the national coach, and it proved a successful appointment, ending a seemingly constant series of changes and providing much-needed stability. However, he trod a difficult path on the international stage at a time India’s influence was on the increase, and his tenure was ended in October 2006, two months before his contract was due to expire anyway.
He came to the job after a distinguished political career. He had a spell as Pakistan’s foreign secretary, and was also an ambassador and a high commissioner between 1957 and 1994 and managed the national side successfully to India in 1999 and the World Cup in 2003. Born in Bhopal, India, late Shaharyar Khan was the author of “The Begums of Bhopal”, “The Shallow Graves of Rwanda”, ” Cricket: A Bridge of Peace” and “Bhopal Connections”.
