Shahryar Mohammad Khan (; born 12 March 1934) is a former career Pakistan diplomat who became Foreign Secretary of Pakistan in 1990, and remained so until his retirement from service in 1994. He later served as United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Rwanda (1994–1996), and wrote the book Shallow Graves of Rwanda on his experiences on what Rwanda went through. Since August 1999, he has intermittently served as the chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board, and also served as the president of Asian Cricket Council in 2016.
Early life and background
Shaharyar Muhammed Khan was born in the Qasr-e-Sultani Palace (now Saifia College), in the Bhopal State (honoured with 19-gun salute until 1947) in British India. He is 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 (Suraya Jah, and Nawab Gauhar-i-Taj), herself the Crown Princess and the eldest daughter of last ruling Nawab of Bhopal, Haji-Hafiz Sir Muhammad Nawab Hamidullah Khan, who reigned state of Bhopal after a prolonged era of Begums regime (the queens), and his wife Begum Maimoona Sultan. Khan is descended from the royal family of former princely state of Bhopal where his ancestors had emigrated to during first quarter of the eighteenth century from Afghanistan.
Career, retirement and literary work
He worked for a year with Burmah Shell Oil, and in 1957, joined the Pakistani foreign service. In 1960, he was posted as a Third Secretary in the Pakistani High Commission in London, and was promoted to Second Secretary in the Tunis embassy from 1962 to 1966. In 1976, Shahryar Khan became Pakistan's ambassador to Jordan (1976–1982) and the United Kingdom (1987–1990) He also stayed as Pakistan Ambassador to France (1999–2001) and Chairman, Committee on Foreign Service Reforms, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1997–1999).
Khan is currently teaching Pakistan's Foreign Relations at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) as part of the Social Sciences faculty. He teaches a course titled "Pakistan's Foreign Relations" in Fall semester and a senior level course titled "Critical Issues in Pakistan's Foreign Relations" in Spring semester. At LUMS, he is also the patron of the LUMS Model UN Society (LUMUN).
On 1 July 1994, he was appointed United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's Special Representative to Rwanda, succeeding Jacques-Roger Booh-Booh. As U.N. Special Representative, he represented the United Nations during the genocide and subsequent refugee crisis. He also remained the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board from 10 December 2003 till he resigned on 7 October 2006. On 16 August 2014 he was again appointed as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
In 2005 he was made an honorary fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
In his retirement, Shaharyar Khan has written a number of books. The Begums of Bhopal is a history of the princely state of Bhopal. The Shallow Graves of Rwanda is an eye-witness account of his two-year stay in a country ravaged by what some might call genocide. Cricket – a Bridge of Peace, about India-Pakistan relations, is his third book. His most personal book has been the biography of his mother Princess Abida Sultaan – Memoirs of a Rebel Princess, which has been translated into Urdu. In 2013 with his son Ali Khan he wrote Cricket Cauldron: The Turbulent Politics of Sport in Pakistan. He has also co-authored a book titled as "Shadows across the playing field; 60 years of India-Pakistan cricket" with renowned Indian writer and politician Shashi Tharoor.
Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board
He has been appointed chairman after he was elected unanimously by the board of governors of Pakistan Cricket Board in the light of new constitution of the PCB 2014 which was approved by the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Khan previously served as the PCB chief in 2003, taking over with the board in turmoil. His tenure is remembered more for Pakistan's 2006 forfeit of the Oval test after being penalised for ball tampering. He was once again appointed the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board on 18 August 2014. He served as one of the founders of the Pakistan Super League. He retired from the position in 2017 after completing his term.