Abdul Chowdry dies in car crash tragedy

Abdul Chowdry

Former councillor Abdul Chowdry has died tragically in a road traffic accident in Pakistan.

Mr Chowdry was on his way to catch a flight home when the car he was travelling in careered into a lorry.

His nephew Mohammed Rashad and cousin Abad Ali, both from the region, were also killed in the collision near Islamabad on Tuesday.

The driver, who is believed to have fallen asleep at the wheel, is critically ill in hospital.

Mr Chowdry, aged 53, of Edmund Street, Spotland, had been visiting various projects set up in Pakistan by the group he helped create, the Friends of Sahiwal. He was about to fly home from Islamabad for the wedding of his niece Saddiqa Nazir at Whitworth Civic Hall when the tragedy happened.

Mr Chowdry was born in India and raised in Nairobi before later moving to Rochdale with his family. Over the years he became a prominent local figure, and one of the country's first Asian councillors - representing Smallbridge and Wardleworth for the Labour party. He was also a magistrate for over two decades, a director and trustee of Spotland and Falinge Community Centre, a national Health and Safety Commissioner and a former Health amp; Safety manager at the Turner Brothers Asbestos factory in Spodden Valley.

A spokesperson for the Save Spodden Valley campaign, Jason Addy, who worked closely with Mr Chowdry, said he was deeply shocked at the news of his death. He paid tribute to his life, saying: "At a time when many were keeping quiet about asbestos in the Spodden Valley, Abdul, then a Health amp; Safety Commissioner, took the bold step to speak out on BBC Radio Four about the dangers of contamination on the former T&N site in Rochdale. As a former T&N Health and Safety officer he could have stayed quiet. He didn't. That was the measure of the man. He will be greatly missed."