Tearful tributes paid to Yousuf Khan
Karachi: With heavy hearts and tearful eyes, journalists paid glowing tributes to a senior journalist, Yousuf Khan, who died of a heart attack in August, at a condolence reference at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Tuesday.
Also, on the same occasion, the inauguration of a computer laboratory dedicated to the slain journalist Wali Khan Babar was held at the Karachi Union of Journalists office at the KPC.
Speaking about the two journalists, Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon praised Yousuf Khan and said that whenever Karachi’s journalism would be remembered, his name and face would be the first to appear.
Meanwhile, for the young reporter Wali Khan Babar, who was gunned down earlier this year, the minister called for the public hanging of his killers so that in the future, no criminal would try to silence the voice of a journalist. Memon said that his party, the PPP, and the journalist fraternity were two wheels of a car as journalists have always supported his party in trying times.
Earlier, friends and colleagues of veteran journalist Yousuf Khan spoke about his personality and work in a room crammed with smiling portraits of Khan and Baber.
The KUJ’S Secretary-General, Hasan Abbas said that Yousuf Khan never stepped back from his principles, and was the most straight-forward and outspoken journalist he had ever met.
“He had a special way of addressing me, and whenever he would see me, he would say, “Han bhai kia karaha hai,”. Abbas said that the last time he had spoken to Khan was just five days before his death.
“When I got to know about his death, I was shocked. He was such a lively person and he left us all so early. But in the end he won the race, and left the world a winner.”
Senior journalist Habib Khan Ghori reminisced about the days when he was the President of the Karachi Press Club and Khan was the Secretary. “Yousuf wanted to open the doors of the press club to everyone. He would say that people would find their own space in the small club.
For us, all journalists whether from large or small organisations were the same.” Ghori said Khan lived a very fast-paced life, writing columns every day, being the chief reporter and yet giving time to his family.
“And when I would tell him to slow down, he wouldn’t listen. But I would advise journalists not to put themselves in danger, and to go slow with everything.” He concluded by saying that journalists should present a reflection of the society in their writing and refrain from malicious acts of blackmail and biased writings.
Secretary-General of the PFUJ, Amin Yousuf, said that the biggest achievement of Yousuf was that he distributed plots to 816 journalists at the time when he was the secretary of KPC.
A colleague, Bachal Leghari, who worked with him for thirty years, said “He was a professional journalist, and used to make us laugh. If he wasn’t there, we wouldn’t have laughed so much.. I can’t believe he’s no more. When I saw his dead body, I thought he would wake up, and give me a tip-off about a story.”
Meanwhile, some journalists were unable to control their emotions and a lady journalist broke into tears while speaking about the senior journalist.
On the occasion, the KUJ announced if the family of the senior journalist permitted, then a compilation of his Urdu and English columns would be published in the form of a book. Besides, a trust for providing help to unemployed journalists and the families of the deceased journalists would be established.
On the occasion, the KUJ proposed to compile Khan’s Urdu and English columns in the form of a book.
Source: The News
Date:10/5/2011
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