25 Facts About Jamsheed Marker

Jamsheed Marker, was a Pakistani diplomat and a former cricket commentator.

Jamsheed Marker was notable for his tenure as Ambassador to the United States, serving from 17 September 1986 to 30 June 1989 during the administrations of Prime Ministers Muhammad Khan Junejo and Benazir Bhutto.

Jamsheed Marker claimed to have helped negotiate the Soviet military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

From 1995 through 2005, Marker taught a course in "Diplomacy in International Relations" at Eckerd College, a Private liberal arts college in St Petersburg, Florida.

Jamsheed Kekobad Ardeshir Marker was born in Hyderabad, India, on 24 November 1922, into a distinguished Parsee, or Zoroastrian, family that had been in shipping business.

Jamsheed Marker's father was Kekobad Ardeshir Marker, who ran the family pharmaceutical business, and his mother was Meherbano Marker nee Pestonji, a homemaker.

Jamsheed Marker attended the elite Doon boarding school in Dehradun, India, and Forman Christian College University in Lahore, Pakistan.

In early days at school level in Dehradun located in India, Jamsheed Marker played cricket there and later at FC College Lahore.

Jamsheed Marker was awarded the Victoria Medal for his military service.

Jamsheed Marker worked in his family business, shipping and pharmaceuticals, after the Second world war ended, and during the 1950s became famous for his radio commentary on cricket, one of Pakistan's most popular sports.

Jamsheed Marker worked in his family's shipping business until April 1965, when he was appointed Pakistan's High Commissioner to Ghana during the height of popularity for its independence leader Kwame Nkrumah, with concurrent accreditation to Guinea and Mali.

Jamsheed Marker afterward represented Pakistan in Romania, the Soviet Union, Canada, East Germany, Japan, the United Nations Office at Geneva, West Germany, France, the United States and finally the United Nations in New York City.

Jamsheed Marker served as Ambassador of Pakistan continually for thirty years, in ten different capitals, and nine further concurrent accreditations.

Jamsheed Marker was able to communicate in English, French, German, Russian, Urdu and his native language Gujarati.

Jamsheed Marker was appointed Ambassador to the United States in 1986 and helped negotiate the Soviet military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Jamsheed Marker worked closely with the Pakistani military dictator General Zia Ul-Haq as the general developed the country's clandestine nuclear weapons program.

The Portuguese foreign minister praised Jamsheed Marker's "sophisticated and calm approach" while the Indonesian foreign minister said Jamsheed Marker's "diplomatic skills smoothed the way whenever there was a 'snag in the negotiations'".

Some critics say Mr Jamsheed Marker was more at ease with the military rulers of the country than its civilian leaders.

Mr Jamsheed Marker had little praise for civilian prime ministers like Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, whom he regarded as financially corrupt, and he was critical of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's iron-fisted management style while praising many of his qualities, the former prime minister and father of Ms.

From 1995 through 2005, Jamsheed Marker taught a course in "Diplomacy in International Relations" at Eckerd College in St Petersburg, Florida, US.

Jamsheed Marker received the Hilal-i-Imtiaz Award from President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf in 2003.

Jamsheed Marker was previously married to Diana Faridoon Dinshaw who died in 1979 of cancer.

Jamsheed Marker had two daughters with Dinshaw: Niloufer Reifler and Feroza, who died in a car crash in the US in 2001.

Jamsheed Marker died on 21 June 2018 in Karachi at the age of 95.

Jamsheed Marker served as a Pakistani diplomat continually for 30 years.