WITH the passing away of Ambassador Jamsheed K A Marker in Karachi, Pakistan lost one of its noblest citizens, who left an indelible mark on those he met and events he participated in.

He had initially obtained his mother’s permission to serve abroad for only two years; instead, he was to serve his country with unflinching devotion and unquestioning loyalty that made him the envy of both professional diplomats and political appointees, for an unmatched record of more than three decades, as Pakistan’s Ambassador to a dozen countries. And he never sought an extension! In fact, with every change of government, he tendered his resignation, as mandated by law. But no government was willing to lose a person whose only passion was work and whose only loyalty was to the state.

It was however, in the US and at the United Nations that Amb. Marker’s personality was to blossom to its full glory. No one did more to project Pakistan as a moderate, modern and progressive Muslim state in the US and in the corridors of multilateral diplomacy than this soft-spoken, mild-mannered gentleman with a perpetual smile on his face and twinkle in his eyes.

Choosing to write his autography was no easy decision for Marker. Reserved and reticent by nature, Marker was torn between his conviction to being fair and honest and his in-born nature to not hurt the sensitivities of friends and colleagues. But he did finally decide to go ahead with this project, for he was convinced that he owed it to coming generations to share with them his memories and recollections of events that had a profound impact on the destiny of this country.

The chapters in his book, Quiet Diplomacy, on his assignment in Moscow and later in DC, are essential reading for students of history and diplomacy, for they are not only accurate and honest, but loaded with assessments and observations that contain invaluable lessons to those with interest in foreign affairs.

I shall always remain in debt to this kind and affectionate mentor, who with unlimited patience but firm guidance made me a much better person than what I was when I landed in his Mission in Moscow on my first diplomatic assignment in 1970. It was again my good fortune that he chose me to be his deputy head of mission, when appointed ambassador to the US.

There are many others in our diplomatic service who he nursed and nurtured to towering heights. They all owe a huge debt of gratitude to this noble person. So does the nation. May his soul rest in peace!

Tariq Fatemi
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2018