Islamabad, Sep 18 (IANS) The widow of Nazeer Abbasi, who was accused of being an Indian agent and allegedly tortured to death in 1980, has demanded that the case be re-opened.
Abbasi’s widow Hamida Ghangro told The News International: “It was alleged that he was an Indian agent because he stood for cordial relations with India.”

Student and communist leader Nazeer Abbasi was allegedly tortured to death Aug 9, 1980 during the era of military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq.

“We filed a First Information Report at Defence Police Station Aug 17, 1980 against General Zia-ul-Haq and then governor Sindh Lt Gen (retired) Abbasi, but later we came to know that then Inter Services Intelligence chief for Karachi Brig (retired) Imtiaz was involved in the martyrdom of Nazeer Abbasi,” Hamida Ghangro told the newspaper in Karachi.

Later, then premier Benazir Bhutto issued directives to the home department to probe the matter, and “we came to know that there were 12 torture marks on Abbasi’s body”, Ghangro said.

Nazeer Abbasi was president of the Sindh National Students Federation (SNSF) and a central committee member of the Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP) when he was arrested by Field Investigation Unit (FIU).

He was 27 at the time of his death.

“Now Brig. Imtiaz himself has said in a television interview that he succeeded in eliminating communists from Pakistan but has claimed that Nazeer Abbasi died a natural death.

“The question arises why his body was not handed over to his family and why he was buried in Sakhi Hasan graveyard in the middle of the night if he was not tortured to death?” Ghangro asked.

She went on to say: “I was 19 when I got married to Nazeer Feb 4, 1978 and I know how enthusiastic he was to change the exploitative system.

“My daughter Zarqa was 15 months old when my husband was martyred. We are inheritors of martyrs such as Che Guevara, Bhagat Singh, Hasan Nasir and Nazeer Abbasi.”