Ardeshir Cowasjee
- November 24, 2012
- 86 years
- chest ailment
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About Ardeshir Cowasjee
Ardeshir Cowasjee, 86, Pakistani newspaper columnist (Dawn), chest ailment.
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Full Biography
|Ardeshir Cowasjee (13 April 1926 – 24 November 2012) (Urdu: اردشیر کاوسجی) was a Pakistani newspaper columnist, social activist, and philanthropist. Hailing from Karachi, his columns regularly appeared in the country's oldest English newspaper, Dawn. He was also the Chairman of the Cowasjee Group and was engaged in philanthropic activities in addition to being regarded as an old "guardian" of the city of Karachi.
On 3 November 2013, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi launched the Ardeshir Cowasjee Centre for Writing in his honor.
Biography
Cowasjee was born on 13 April 1926 in Karachi to the Cowasjee Parsi (Zoroastrian) family.[citation needed] His father, Rustom Fakirjee Cowasjee, was a businessman in merchant shipping, and the family spoke Gujarati at home. Ardeshir attended the Bai Virbaiji Soparivala (BVS) Parsi High School and graduated from DJ Science College, Karachi. Later, he joined his father's business, the Cowasjee Group. In 1953, he married Nancy Dinshaw, with whom he had two children – Ava (daughter) and Rustom (son).[citation needed]
Career
Cowasjee owned a family run shipping company, that at the time of the independence of Pakistan was Karachi's largest shipping company.[citation needed] This shipping company was nationalized during Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's premiership. He was appointed by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as Managing Director of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) in 1973. He was jailed for 72 days in 1976 by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for which no explanation has been given to date; it is said that Prime Minister Bhutto did this because Cowasjee was becoming increasingly vocal about Bhutto's authoritarian ways. Cowasjee subsequently started writing letters to the editor of Dawn newspaper, which led to him becoming a permanent columnist. From then until almost to his death, his hard-hitting and well-researched columns in Dawn exposed corruption, nepotism, and incompetence in different local, provincial, and national governments. Cowasjee's last article for Dawn was published on 25 December 2011.[citation needed]
Los Angeles Times described him thus: "His is a stubborn non-Muslim voice in this nation created as an Islamic homeland, refusing to be silenced. Attempts have been made. His life has been threatened so often the government has provided him with 24-hour protection.
Activities
Via the Cowasjee Foundation, Cowasjee was the financier of many scholarships for students wishing to pursue higher education. These included grants for both local and overseas education. They were termed "loans" and Cowasjee encouraged recipients to repay them so that others could benefit from the funds; however, he expected that the majority of the funds would not be repaid.[citation needed]
Death
Cowasjee died at the age of 86, on 24 November 2012. He was suffering from chest illness and remained in hospital for twelve days.
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Articles & News
- Ardeshir Cowasjee: The Curmudgeon of Karachi BY JAHANZEB ASLAM, Newsweek, 12/3/12newsweek.com
- "Farewell, Pakistan's Ardeshir Cowasjee"blogs.aljazeera.com
Reported coverage of Ardeshir Cowasjee; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardeshir_Cowasjee
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Ardeshir Cowasjee's archived record and the sources above.
1.What was the religion of the Cowasjee family?
- A.Christianity
- B.Zoroastriancorrect
- C.Islam
- D.Hinduism
Ardeshir Cowasjee was born into the Cowasjee Parsi (Zoroastrian) family.
Source: Biography section
2.What was the name of Ardeshir Cowasjee's son?
- A.Rustomcorrect
- B.Fakirjee
- C.IBA
- D.Zulfikar
Ardeshir Cowasjee had two children, a daughter named Ava and a son named Rustom.
Source: Biography section
3.What was the date of birth of Ardeshir Cowasjee?
- A.3 November 2013
- B.24 November 2012
- C.25 December 2011
- D.13 April 1926correct
Ardeshir Cowasjee was born on 13 April 1926.
Source: Biography introduction
4.What was the name of the high school Ardeshir Cowasjee attended?
- A.Karachi Grammar School
- B.Bai Virbaiji Soparivala Parsi High Schoolcorrect
- C.DJ Science College
- D.Saint Patrick's High School
Ardeshir Cowasjee attended the Bai Virbaiji Soparivala (BVS) Parsi High School.
Source: Biography section
5.Who was the father of Ardeshir Cowasjee?
- A.Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
- B.Ava Cowasjee
- C.Rustom Fakirjee Cowasjeecorrect
- D.Nancy Dinshaw
Ardeshir Cowasjee's father was named Rustom Fakirjee Cowasjee.
Source: Biography section
6.What language did the family of Ardeshir Cowasjee speak at home?
- A.Arabic
- B.Urdu
- C.Gujaraticorrect
- D.English
The family of Ardeshir Cowasjee spoke Gujarati at home.
Source: Biography section
7.Who did Ardeshir Cowasjee marry in 1953?
- A.Zara Parsi
- B.Nancy Dinshawcorrect
- C.Ayesha Khan
- D.Fatima Jinnah
In 1953, Ardeshir Cowasjee married Nancy Dinshaw.
Source: Biography section
8.In 1973, which organization was Ardeshir Cowasjee appointed to manage?
- A.Dawn Newspaper
- B.Karachi Shipping Authority
- C.Cowasjee Group
- D.Pakistan Tourism Development Corporationcorrect
Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto appointed Ardeshir Cowasjee as Managing Director of PTDC in 1973.
Source: Career section
9.How many days was Ardeshir Cowasjee jailed for in 1976?
- A.72 dayscorrect
- B.30 days
- C.12 days
- D.100 days
Ardeshir Cowasjee was jailed for 72 days in 1976 by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
Source: Career section
10.Which newspaper did Ardeshir Cowasjee write columns for throughout his career?
- A.The Guardian
- B.Los Angeles Times
- C.Dawncorrect
- D.Karachi Gazette
Ardeshir Cowasjee was a columnist for the country's oldest English newspaper, Dawn.
Source: Biography introduction
11.On what date was Ardeshir Cowasjee's last article published in Dawn?
- A.25 December 2011correct
- B.13 April 1926
- C.24 November 2012
- D.3 November 2013
Ardeshir Cowasjee's last article for Dawn was published on 25 December 2011.
Source: Career section
12.What was the name of the center launched at IBA Karachi in honor of Ardeshir Cowasjee?
- A.Ardeshir Cowasjee Columnist Archive
- B.Ardeshir Cowasjee Shipping Institute
- C.Ardeshir Cowasjee Centre for Writingcorrect
- D.Ardeshir Cowasjee Foundation for Philanthropy
IBA, Karachi launched the Ardeshir Cowasjee Centre for Writing in his honor on 3 November 2013.
Source: Biography introduction
13.What was Ardeshir Cowasjee suffering from at the time of his death?
- A.Stroke
- B.Chest illnesscorrect
- C.Cancer
- D.Heart disease
Ardeshir Cowasjee died at 86, suffering from chest illness.
Source: Death section
14.For how many days did Ardeshir Cowasjee remain in the hospital before his death?
- A.24 days
- B.3 days
- C.72 days
- D.12 dayscorrect
Ardeshir Cowasjee remained in the hospital for twelve days before passing away.
Source: Death section
15.What was the primary function of the Cowasjee Foundation regarding students?
- A.It managed school curriculums
- B.It provided free housing
- C.It hosted writing competitions
- D.It was the financier of scholarshipscorrect
The Cowasjee Foundation was the financier of many scholarships for students wishing to pursue higher education.
Source: Activities section
16.How did Ardeshir Cowasjee treat the funds provided to students via the Cowasjee Foundation?
- A.As grants
- B.As investments
- C.As gifts
- D.As loanscorrect
The funds provided by the Cowasjee Foundation were termed loans.
Source: Activities section
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