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Rahimullah Yusufzai, who passed away on September 9, was the go-to expert for the world on all matters related to Afghanistan and Pakhtun society.

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But his real legacy was his sagacity, generosity and strength of character. Professor Abaseen Yusufzai, president of the Pashto Academy in Peshawer and who was present at the funeral, said that God had sent Rahimullah Yusufzai for playing the role of a journalist, revealing the truth to the world, and for safeguarding journalistic values.

He tried for the army in but was not accepted due to his weak eyesight. That Rahimullah was an enduring influence in journalism is beyond doubt. He elevated journalism in Pakistan and worldwide by maintaining the best ethical standards for reporting and offering political analyses par excellence. He also interviewed Taliban leader Mullah Omar in February and then, subsequently, 12 more times.

The government of Pakistan awarded him the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz in and the Sitara-i-Imtiaz in in the recognition of his achievements in the field of journalism.

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Ismail Khan, the Resident Editor of Dawn in Peshawar, who also accompanied Rahimullah to when he interviewed bin Laden, remembers him similarly. He was fair and fearless. He was born to a lower-middle class family in Katlang. His father served in the Pakistan Army and was imprisoned in an Indian camp while fighting in East Pakistan in He took a part-time job with an English newspaper The Sun as a proofreader in Karachi and was promoted to the position of a sub-editor later on.

Later, when the Peshawar edition of The News was launched in , Rahimullah Yusufzai joined it as an editor. Rahimullah Sahib had roots in the rural areas and he was passionate about the marginalised rural people. He was one of the few genuine specialists on Afghanistan, having reported on the country since the erstwhile Soviet Union invaded it in In , he was also a regular news analyst on Geo News TV.

Rahimullah is most known for conducting the final interview with Osama bin Laden.

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He also worked as a Time magazine correspondent in Pakistan. At the time, Rahimullah was in Kabul and would regularly call in to read out his dispatch on the satellite phone, holding the phone close to his ear in one hand and using the other to punch his story on my keyboard. As he tried to convince the Taliban, there was no one, either from the family of the slain Afghan leaders or the UN in Kabul, to talk to.

That was Rahimullah, a compassionate human being who was there for everybody. He helped so many people in so many different ways. A couple of weeks before his death, when I visited him at his residence and posted his photo on my Twitter handle, an Afghan journalist called from Kabul. He helped me with money when I came to Peshawar as a refugee.

This towering figure looked so weak and pale as he walked slowly to sit beside me in his verandah holding newspapers under his arms as he always did. I wish I could hold his knees out of sheer respect for the man who was not just my mentor but also an elder. As I stood before his body, wrapped in a white shroud, my mind raced back in time.

There was a flood of memories.

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Related Stories. He was also a war correspondent. He received his early education at his village primary school and then in public schools in Peshawar and Jhelum. Rahimullah also studied at the D. Sindh College and the University of Karachi. Yusufzai was among the first journalists to report on the Taliban and visited Kandahar , Afghanistan in He was one of the few bona fide experts on Afghanistan, having reported on the country since the invasion of Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union.

In , he also frequently appeared on Geo News TV channel as a news analyst. Rahimullah is especially noted for holding the last interview with Osama bin Laden. Acknowledging his achievements in journalism, the government of Pakistan first awarded him the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Medal of Excellence in Then he received Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award Star of Excellence from the President of Pakistan for his achievements in the field of journalism on 23 March