YUSUF Haroon, who passed away in New York on Sunday, represented the adherence to principles and dedication that were the hallmarks of many of Pakistan’s first generation of leaders — traits that are much needed in today’s situation. The eldest of Sir Haji Abdullah Haroon’s sons, he worked closely with Quaid-i-Azam as his ADC and was active in the Pakistan Movement. Yusuf Haroon was a witness to history, being present — along with his father — at the All-India Muslim League’s 25th session in Allahabad in 1930. He was one of the last surviving witnesses of this epochal event where Allama Iqbal, in his presidential address, presented his vision for what would later become Pakistan.

A seasoned politician, Yusuf’s involvement in politics spanned nearly seven decades. He served as mayor of pre-partition Karachi, chief minister of Sindh, governor of West Pakistan and federal minister. As chief minister he piloted a bill for land reform, although the move was thwarted by certain quarters. When the bill failed to pass he relinquished duties as chief minister. Among many other things, he will be remembered for releasing Masood Khadarposh’s dissenting note in the Hari Commission report.

Yusuf Haroon’s efforts to maintain Dawn’s independence in the face of Ayub Khan’s military dictatorship will also be remembered. He served as the paper’s editor-in-chief — the only member of the Haroon family to do so — when Altaf Husain joined Ayub’s government in the mid-60s. The general wanted a tame press — something both dictators and democrats in this country have desired — yet Yusuf did not give undue importance to news of the self-professed field marshal’s ‘achievements’ on Dawn’s pages. Yusuf Haroon’s death leaves Pakistan, and politics and journalism in particular, all the poorer.