Insha Mushtaq
One of most respected and well-known Pakistani Journalist, Rahimullah Yusufzai, passed away on Thursday in Peshawar, after a prolonged illness.
Rahimullah’s son, Arshad Yusufzai, in a Tweet and a Facebook post announced that the senior Journalist breathed his last on Thursday after battling cancer for 15 months.
Rahimullah Yusufzai was very popular among Kashmiris. His courageous and fearless journalism was highly admired in Kashmir.
In 90s, the Taliban’s triumph in Afghanistan and the myths around it inspired a generation of Kashmiris to take to armed struggle. The human rights violations escalated at all fronts. However, there was less coverage of the same over electronic media. Kashmiris who were concerned over the growing human rights violations saw little hope in such upsetting times. This was the time that neighbouring Taliban saw a rise and a fall, strengthening aspirations among Kashmir’s young.
Doordarshan and Akashwani were both seen as the mouthpieces of the state. In the absence of factual and varied sources of information, Kashmiris took to listening to the BBC Urdu service. Since it was difficult to find the radio signal, many even climbed to higher altitudes including mountains to hear the renowned journalist Yusuf Jameel from Kashmir and Mr. Rahimullah Yusufzai.
This was the time Yusuf Jameel became a household name in Kashmir. The talks of his factual reportage turned him into a legend. Similarly, whenever people spoke of the Taliban, the talk was mostly about Yusufzai’s reportage, which was taken for gospel truth in Kashmir.
Among others, Yusuf Jameel, the prominent Kashmiri Journalist expressed sorrow over his former colleague’s demise.
“A shocking news! My former colleague at @BBCWN/@BBCUrdu Rahimullah Yusufzai has passed away. We worked together for over one decade and met whenever he came to Delhi and also a couple of times in London during that period. Rest in eternal peace @rahimyusufzai1,” Yusuf tweeted.
In a later tweet he posted a picture of him with Yusufzai.
“People Come And Go But Memories Stay Forever! And when they are good as he was, they leave behind good memories only. Here in this pic from March 1995, Rahimullah Yusufzai(extreme right)is seen with Zafar Abbas, me and Shahid Malik on the lawns of India International Centre @iicdelhi,” tweeted Yusuf Jameel.
The Hindu journalist, Peerzada Ashiq, extending his condolences over the journalist’s death, prayed for him, and also acknowledged his efforts in the fields of journalism.
Peerzada tweeted, “My heartfelt condolences. May Allah have the departed soul at highest place in jannah. He was our one window to get to know Afghanistan and Pakistan in 1990s on BBC Radio. He has set highest standards for journalists to follow.”
Condolences poured in from Journalists as well as politicians for the veteran Journalist.
Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan, also took to Twitter to condole the demise of senior Journalist, he wrote, “Saddened to learn of Rahimullah Yousafzai’s passing. He was one of Pakistan’s most respected journalists. He was an opinion maker because his columns were well researched. My condolences & prayers go to the family.”
Who was Rahimullah Yusufzai?
Born on 10 September 1954, in Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rahimullah Yusufzai was an award-winning journalist, known for his expertise in political, religious affairs, Taliban, and security issues in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Yusufzai served as a correspondent of BBC Pashto and BBC Urdu. He was also the resident editor of The News International and was a columnist for the Daily Jang. He also served as Time’s Pakistan correspondent.
He reported on the affairs of Afghanistan since the 1979 invasion by the former Soviet Union. He was among the first journalists to report on the Taliban, in 1995 he visited Kandahar to report on the Taliban. Yusufzai was very well known for his expertise on Taliban and Afghanistan.
In 2010, in an interview with Robert Fisk, Rahimullah Yusufzai had said that the Taliban respected him because he was the first journalist to visit them.
Yusufzai is very well known for his interview with Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 1998 as well as Taliban founder Mullah Omar. In a piece he had written for The Guardian in 2001, Rahimullah Yusufzai narrated what it was like to meet Osama Bin Laden and Mullah Omer.
His work and efforts in the field of Journalism were highly appreciated. In 2005 he was first awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Medal of Excellence) by the Government of Pakistan. He also received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award (Star of Excellence) from the President of Pakistan, in 2010.