Sahabzada Yaqub Khan Sahabzada Yaqub Ali Khan Sahabzada Yaqub Khan ( born 1920 ) was the International Face of Pakistan for many years . He served as foreign minister of Pakistan from 1982 to 1987 and from 1988 to 1991 during the closing years of the Cold War , and was again foreign minister from 1996 to 1997 . He was a central player in the UN negotiations to end the Soviet involvement in Afghanistan . He was later Pakistan 's UN Representative . He also served as the UN 's point man in negotiating an end to the Civil War in Nicaragua . Sahabzada Yaqub Khan is a member of the erstwhile royal Pashtun family of Rampur .Sahabzada Yaqub Khan enjoyed a distinguished career in the Pakistani Army that began before Pakistani independence . Rising to the rank Lieutenant General , Yaqub Khan served as Chief of General Staff , Commander of the Eastern Zone and Governor of East Pakistan . On retiring from the Army he embarked on a career as a diplomat , serving as Ambassador to France , the USA and Soviet Union from 1972-82 . Since 1982 he served as Foreign Minister under seven different governments . From 1992 until 1997 Yaqub Khan was the United Nations Secretary General 's Special Representative for the Western Sahara . He served as Chairman of the Aga Khan University Hospital and retired later . Currently he is a Commissioner of the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict . See also Pakistan Cold War Afghanistan timeline 1981-1985 SYK : The Man With Qualities Short biographical article about Sahabzada Yaqub Khan , including personal reminescences , by S. Abbas Raza of 3 Quarks Daily  This article about an Asian politician is a stub . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it .  This Pakistani biographical article is a stub . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it .  This biographical article related to the military is a stub . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it . Categories : Asian politician stubs | Pakistani people stubs | Military personnel stubs | Generals of the 1971 Indo-Pak war | Generals of the Bangladesh Liberation war | Cold War | Pakistani generals | Foreign Ministers of Pakistan | 1920 births | Living people | Pakistani diplomats 