Former Finance Commission chairman A M Khusro, who died in New Delhi on Sunday night, was a distinguished academic, scholar and a towering personality.

Besides heading the 11th Finance Commission, he was the chairman of the Aga Khan Foundation, president of the Federation of Indo-German Societies and chairman of the Institute of Economic Growth.

Khusro, who died at the age of 78 after a recent bye-pass surgery, had served the Planning Commission as a member and was also a consulting editor of the Financial Express and director of the Indian Express (Mumbai).

He was a member of the economic advisory council of the prime minister in the mid-eighties and had also served as the ambassador of India in Bonn.

Khusro was the vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University from 1974-79 and later became its chancellor. He also served as the director of the Reserve Bank of India.

Khusro played a commendable role as a member of the Indian delegation of UNCTAD II in 1968 and represented the prime minister of India at the Conference of Club Rome at Mexico in 1978.

He was also the chairman of the expert group on the future of the international monetary and financial system, set up by the chairperson of the Non-Aligned Movement, Indira Gandhi, in 1984.