KARACHI: Zafarullah Poshni, the last survivor of the famous Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case, died here on Wednesday, a family member said. He was 95.

“With deep sorrow, I announce that my father-in-law Zafarullah Poshni, just expired. He was 95, last survivor of Pindi Conspiracy case & contemporary of Faiz Ahmed Faiz in prison,” twe­eted Asad Ali Shah, a renowned banker.

Mr Poshni was a young Pakistan Army captain when he was arrested for alle­gedly taking part in Rawalpindi Conspiracy in 1951.

He was a member of the Communist Party of Pakistan along with Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Syed Sajjad Zaheer and others, who were arrested for allegedly conspiring to stage a coup against the then government of Liaquat Ali Khan. All those involved were eventually released during the general amnesty of 1956. Born in May 1926 in Amritsar, Mr Poshni joined the British Indian Army in March 1945. He also authored a book, Prison Interlude: The Last Eyewitness Account of the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case, in which he shared details of the case and his experience.

According to his son-in-law, funeral prayers will be offered on Thursday (today) at Sultan Masjid in DHA after Asr.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2021