Cover Point ─ Impressions of Leadership in Pakistan

Jamsheed Marker's lifetime in the diplomatic service of Pakistan gave him a unique vintage point. In cricket terms, he was at cover point, near enough to the wicket to follow the action around the stumps...yet sufficiently distant for a general overview of the state of play. Unlike his previously published book Quiet Diplomacy: Memoirs of an Ambassador of Pakistan (OUP, 2010), which is a rich history of his many ambassadorial assignments,Cover Point covers Marker's impressions of Pakistans most powerful leaders. With the exception of the incorruptible Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his lieutenant Liaquat Ali Khan, all of Pakistans leaders succumbed, in increasingly pernicious fashion, to the malign and pervasive influences of sycophancy and flattery. This work relates the first-hand impressions of the author which he garnered during his illustrious career, starting with Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah up until the rule of General Pervez Musharraf.

Distinguished veteran Pakistani diplomat Jamsheed Marker hails from a well-known Parsee family of Quetta and Karachi. He was born on 24 November 1922 in Hyderabad, India. Marker received his education from the Doon School in Dehradun and the Forman Christian College, Lahore, where he graduated as a gold medallist with an Honours degree in Economics. During the Second World War he served as an officer in the Royal Indian Naval Volunteer Reserve, first in command of a magnetic minesweeper, and then on combined operations in Burma. When the war ended, Marker joined his family business. He has served on the Boards of several public and private corporations in banking, insurance, and shipping.

In April 1965 Jamsheed Marker was appointed as High Commissioner of Pakistan to Ghana.