Businessman, philanthropic and outspoken columnist, Ardeshir Cowasjee was regarded as an ‘old guardian’ of Karachi city.
Cowasjee belonged to a well-known Parsi family of Karachi – his father Rustom Fakirjee Cowasjee was a businessman in merchant shipping. After graduating from the DJ Science College, Karachi, Cowasjee joined his father’s business.
During the Z. A. Bhutto era, Cowasjee was appointed Managing Director of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) in 1973. But in 1976, without apparent provocation he was removed without notice and imprisoned for 72 days. It is believed that Bhutto, becoming increasingly agitated with Cowasjee’s vocal criticism about the former’s authoritarian ways became infuriated and hence his removal and imprisonment.
According to NPR news, “He was a newspaper columnist in Pakistan, though that phrase does not quite capture him. He was old enough to recall his country's independence in 1947. He was the offspring of a wealthy family and the owner of a shipping line which the government nationalized in the 1970s.”
It added: "He'd been in politics once, until he was thrown in jail. Afterwards he wrote letters to the editor of the English-language newspaper Dawn and wrote them well enough that he was offered a column."
He managed for a quarter-century to skewer Islamists and intolerance and corrupt officials and more. In a country obsessed with its constantly convoluted politics - which personality was up or down - the old man kept his eye on the future. He wrote about parks, and preserving open spaces, and land use, and pollution.
In short, he wrote about all those basic things in the developing world that enrich people's lives when done properly and shorten people's lives when they're not.
In late 2011, he declared he was sick of his country's decline and that he was finally done writing. But even after that he wrote a little more.
He had two children with his late wife Nancy Dinshaw.
Sources: The Oxford Companion to Pakistani History
http://www.npr.org/2012/11/26/165896135/renowned-pakistani-columnist-cowasjee-dies-at-86
Riaz Batalvi, a journalist, became a writer and a dramatist, giving PTV two of its best productions - Aik Haqeeqat, Aik Afsana and Dubai Chalo. Born as Riazul Hasan in February 1937 in Gurdaspur
Zamir Niazi was a renowned Pakistani journalist, famous for his commitment to the freedom of the press. He worked for Dawn, Daily News and Business Recorder and also edited the monthly Recorder and the weekly Current.
Affectionately known as Chacha in the journalist community, F. E. Choudhry is credited to have introduced innovative features to photojournalism, such as cricket action photography, pictorial and
Gul Hameed Bhatti was a top ranked cricket journalist and statistician. He also loved flying and was a commercial pilot with the Pakistan International Airlines between 1968 and 1971.
A senior journalist and human rights activist, I A Rehman is known for his outspoken views. He served as editor-in-chief of The Pakistan Times from 1989-90. Since 1990 he has been serving as a director
Mazhar Ali Khan served as the Editor-in-Chief of the newspapers Pakistan Times from 1951 to 1959, Dawn in 1972, and the journal Viewpoint. He graduated from the Punjab University in Lahore in 1939
Hameed Nizami was an eminent journalist. He was the founder of the Urdu newspaper Nawa-i-Waqt, and played an important role in the Pakistan Movement. He was born on October 3, 1915 at Sangla Hill
On May 13, 1978, four journalists courted arrest at the offices of Musawaat, among them was Nasir Zaidi, a quiet, unassuming and physically frail individual. They were driven away in chains for
June 11, 2025 Pakistan celebrated a narrow win over Bangladesh, but beneath the jubilation lies a deeper crisis—from sidelined veterans to a collapsing domestic structure—signaling an urgent need for cricket reform.
June 11, 2025 Journalists walked out of the post-budget press conference in Islamabad to protest the absence of a technical briefing and the government's dismissive behavior, calling it unacceptable and intolerable.
May 31, 2025 Dr. Nauman Niaz has issued a defamation notice to Shoaib Akhtar over derogatory remarks made during a recent broadcast, reigniting a longstanding media feud between the two prominent figures in Pakistan.
May 30, 2025 The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has demanded the full repeal of PECA, citing its vague language, coercive powers, and threats to free speech and digital rights in Pakistan.
May 30, 2025 The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has condemned the murder of journalist Syed Mohammed Shah in Jacobabad, calling for urgent justice and improved safety for media professionals in Sindh.