Cover Point

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.