A man of abundant qualities

Success is not final, failure is not lethal: it is the courage to continue that counts. Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman was one of those people who never discouraged himself with the thought of failure. He saw many ups and downs in his life, a life he had made himself. He was a courageous man and even in the worst of circumstances he faced challenges with equanimity and emerged as a successful media tycoon. In those days newspapers were the only effective means of communication with the masses which was dominated by Hindus. Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman accepted the challenge, faced strong words against him and spread the message of Muslim League and its stance to every nook and corner of India, particularly to the Muslims. It was his humble but very strong contribution towards the movement of Pakistan, which was fast gaining momentum in those days. He put all his abilities to this sacred cause which he later described as the cause of creating awareness about Pakistan, a country he envisioned for the Muslims of the sub-continent where they will be able to lead their lives according to the cannons of Islam. Consequences were not easy to face.

Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman was a multi-talented person who liked innovations. He was a person who pioneered journalism in Pakistan. He not only laid the foundation of modern Urdu journalism but also introduced highly sophisticated and modern technological methods in the print and publication industry of Pakistan.

A firm believer of Islam

Mir saheb was a firm believer of Islam and Pakistan. His deep passion for Pakistan was observed on many occasions. He would always show his concern when people used to say "what Pakistan has given to them", he would always say in return that Pakistan has given them with everything. It is now for people to see what they are giving in return to Pakistan.

He used to cite his own example and candidly express that whatever he is today, it is just because of Pakistan. Had he been in India, he would have never attained the status which Pakistan has given to him.

Those who knew him found him a religious person to the core. He used to offer prayer five times a day, recite Holy Qur'an and keep fasts in Ramazan very religiously. Mir Sahab was the first person who started printing translation of Qur'anic verses in Urdu on top-front of his newspaper. This tradition still continues in his daily newspapers.

A person with an immense sense of humour

Mir Saheb also had a great sense of humour. Many of his colleagues witnessed his sense of humour. One of his companions Farhad Zaidi shared his experience. He mentioned that when he was the president of APNS, one of the meetings of executive committee was held in Peshawar. Everybody made a plan there to visit Torkham. They all boarded two coaster vans with the Frontier Constabulary escorting them and headed towards Torkham. This was the time while Russian war was going on in Afghanistan. On the way, he asked Mir Saheb that what would happen if a Russian plane bombards their convoy. Mir Saheb instinctively replied: "What else? Majeed Nizami will become the APNS president", and with that Mir Saheb shared a hearty laugh with other pressmen present in the van. Everyone enjoyed the quip in his sentence.

An excellent advisor

The founding father of Jang Group, Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman, used to tell his colleagues and other members of the creative staff that the prime responsibility of the print media is to educate and inform people about the happenings, inventions and innovations and to encourage the youngsters to contribute their thought-provoking articles for general benefit. Almost all of his pages in the newspaper would stand witness to his vision and the content on these pages used to be creative, thought-provoking and informative. He specially started a page for youth to give them a platform to raise their voice on various issues. Through this page, their vision and their ideas reached people at the helm of affairs. He considered youth as the future of Pakistan.

A supporter of women

Mir Saheb was highly concerned about women issues, and whenever he was requested to highlight such issues, he was willing to give space in his publication.

All in all he had a multifaceted personality, and it is difficult to highlight all facets of his life in one article. He is truly worthy of being called the Mir-e-Sahafat. Mir Saheb's life conveyed an exceptionally germane message for all Pakistanis that if a person sets his goals and battles ceaselessly for achieving them with devotion, then he would never fail.