Aga Khan: Balsemão mourns loss of ‘a great man and a great friend’

“The world has lost a great man and I have lost a great friend” and ‘an example of dignity and a life dedicated to others’, lamented the founder of Partido Popular Democrático (PSD)and chairman of the Imprensa group, Pinto Balsemão. Francisco Pinto Balsemão praised the “extreme discretion” of the leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, describing him as “an example of dignity and a life dedicated to others”. “On a personal level, there was a quick understanding that turned into an excellent friendship,” he says, adding that the Aga Khan even proposed that he stay on as president of the Foundation. “At the time, I hesitated, but in the end I refused. And I explained it in a very short sentence: 'I'd rather remain your friend for life than be your employee for a while'”. And so it was: the friendship has continued to this day,” he recalls.