Dr Qaiser Abbas, a prominent scholar and former president of South Asia Democracy Watch, has died after a brief illness.
His funeral was held in Denton and he was buried in a Muslim cemetery in the same city.
Abbas, born in Pakistan to Syed Bakshish Abbas Rizvi and Fatima Tauqeer, was a distinguished academic and journalist. He earned a master’s degree in journalism from Punjab University and initially worked as a news producer for Pakistan Television and an information officer in the Ministry of Education in Punjab.
In 1981, he moved to the United States, where he pursued further education, receiving a master’s degree from Iowa State University and a PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
He made significant contributions to the field of mass communications and held administrative positions at various American universities, including the roles of assistant dean and director of multicultural affairs.
Dr. Abbas had a keen interest in political and international communication, development broadcasting, poetry, resistance and post-colonial South Asia.
He was a prolific writer, contributing to academic journals and newspapers in both English and his native language Urdu.
Beyond his academic endeavours, Abbas was a published Urdu poet and served as editor in chief of Jeddojehad. He co-edited the book “From Terrorism to Television: Dynamics of State, Media and Society in Pakistan” (Routledge, 2020).
He was actively involved in several organizations and most notably held the position of Executive Director of South Asia Democracy Watch.
She recently completed the manuscript of a book titled “Umeed e Sehar Ki Baat”, dedicated to her granddaughters Iman and Noor Rizvi.
Dr Abbas is survived by his wife Dr Saleha Suleman, his twin sons, Shahryar Rizvi and Shahrazad Rizvi, and his siblings, Manzar Abbas, Kosar Abbas, Yawar Abbas, Haider Abbas and Rana Khurshid.
His passing is a significant loss to academia and the South Asian community, and his contributions will be missed and cherished.
Many leaders have described his demise as a significant loss to academia and the South Asian community and emphasized that his contributions will always be remembered.
