23 Facts About Shahryar Khan

Shahryar Mohammad Khan was a Pakistani career diplomat who became Foreign Secretary of Pakistan in 1990, and remained so until his retirement from service in 1994.

Shahryar Khan later served as United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Rwanda, and wrote the book Shallow Graves of Rwanda on his experiences on what Rwanda went through.

Shahryar Muhammed Khan was born on 29 March 1934 in the Qasr-e-Sultani Palace, in Bhopal State in British India.

Shahryar Khan was the only son and male heir of both Nawab Muhammad Sarwar Ali Khan, the ruler of former princely state of Kurwai and Princess Begum Abida Sultan, herself the Crown Princess and the eldest daughter of the last ruling Nawab of Bhopal, Haji-Hafiz Sir Muhammad Nawab Hamidullah Khan, who reigned over the state of Bhopal after a prolonged era of the Begums regime, and his wife Begum Maimoona Sultan.

Shahryar Khan worked for a year with Burmah Shell Oil, and in 1957, joined the Pakistani foreign service.

In 1976, Shahryar Khan became Pakistan's ambassador to Jordan and the United Kingdom.

Shahryar Khan stayed as Pakistan's Ambassador to France and chairman, Committee on Foreign Service Reforms, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Shahryar Khan was teaching Pakistan's Foreign Relations at the Lahore University of Management Sciences as part of the Social Sciences faculty.

Shahryar Khan taught a course titled "Pakistan's Foreign Relations" in the Fall semester and a senior-level course titled "Critical Issues in Pakistan's Foreign Relations" in the Spring semester.

In 2013, with his son Ali Shahryar Khan, he wrote Cricket Cauldron: The Turbulent Politics of Sport in Pakistan.

Shahryar Khan co-authored Shadows Across the Playing Field: 60 Years of India-Pakistan Cricket with Indian writer and politician Shashi Tharoor.

Shahryar Khan served as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board from 10 December 2003 till he resigned on 7 October 2006.

Shahryar Khan's tenure is remembered more for Pakistan's 2006 forfeit of the Oval test after being penalised for ball tampering.

Shahryar Khan was appointed chairman after he was elected unanimously by the board of governors of the Pakistan Cricket Board in the light of the new constitution of the PCB 2014 which was approved by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Shahryar Khan was appointed the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board on 18 August 2014.

Shahryar Khan retired from the position in 2017 after completing his term.

Shahryar Khan was amongst those blamed and there were talks about him retiring from the PCB after this.

Shahryar Khan said it would be better to bring in a foreign coach, implying that Waqar Younis's coaching contract, which ended in June 2016, would not be renewed.

Furthermore, Shahryar Khan did not release any statements on who he thought was responsible for the loss, but instead, he said before the match that he would not change Afridi's position because he had been 'serving Pakistan for the last 20 years'.

Shahryar Khan added that changes would happen after the tournament but noted that the poor performance was from the whole team, except certain individuals.

Shahryar Khan met Minoo Shahryar Khan, a student at the Queen's College in London in 1957, and married her in 1958 in Karachi.

Shahryar Khan died on 23 March 2024 in Lahore, at the age of 89.

Shahryar Khan was buried in Bhopal House in Malir, Karachi.