Salmaan Taseer was a workaholic. Once he put his heart into something, there was no stopping him. May it be the late hours of the night or vehement opposition, he would hold on to his ground. As a governor, he did not believe in protocol and would pick up calls from everyone himself. Always keen on delivering strong speeches, like a true Jiyala, he dreamed of making Lahore another Larkana for the PPP. Having spent a lifetime with him–cheering each other on during the MRD movement; courting arrests and persevering through our “stinker” (to borrow words from Additional IG (Special Branch), Mian Qayyum) days at the Lahore Fort, I lost a very special buddy on January 4, 2011. Rest in Peace, Salman. You went away well before your time.