22 years of satirical wit and untiring philanthropy… that’s Cowasjee

The Jinnah Society presented this year’s The Jinnah Award to renowned columnist and philanthropist Ardeshir Cowasjee on Tuesday in recognition of his outstanding and dedicated services to the country. The award was presented at a ceremony held at the Oxford University Press’ head office. Former Pakistani ambassador Jamshed Marker was the chief guest on the occasion. The award was conferred on Cowasjee by The Jinnah Society President Liaquat Merchant. On the occasion, well-known theatre and television artist Khalid Ahmed said Cowasjee is regarded as one of Pakistan’s best known columnists for a lengthy period of 22 years.
He has been a committed campaigner against corruption, all sorts of environmental abuses, land grabbing of amenity plots in Karachi and violation of building codes, laws, rules and regulations. “Cowasjee’s exposure of corruption in his well-researched columns has touched all levels and he has written tirelessly to attempt to raise public awareness against the lawlessness and criminality that afflicts our society,” said Ahmed. “One main target of his writings has been the vital need for an independent judiciary that can uphold human rights and the rule of law,” he added.
Highlighting Cowasjee’s philanthropic work, Ahmed pointed out that through his family trust fund, the Cowasjee Foundation, he has contributed towards the funding of education of countless students and the children of deprived families.
The foundation has sponsored a TCF school, the Cowasjee Campus in Lyari, the construction of the Cowasjee School of Midwifery at the Lady Dufferin Hospital and a school being built at the NED University campus.
Contributions have also been made to fine institutions such as SIUT where a dialysis ward and lithotripsy centre have been set up.
The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases has also benefited from the foundation as has the Accident and Emergency Operation Unit at Jinnah Hospital and the Dow University of Health Sciences. A park, Bagh-e-Rustom, has also been built in Clifton. Many other contributions have been made to worthy and deserving causes like the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital.
While speaking of Cowasjee’s achievements in her welcome address, Oxford University Press Pakistan Managing Director Ameena Saiyid said Cowasjee knows the value of the reading habit and that is why he is active in trying to spread it.
Citing her personal experience, she revealed how whenever one of the Oxford publications appeals to Cowasjee, he thinks it could widen the horizon for others and he buys dozens of its copies and distributes them gratis among people he thinks should read it.
In his address, Liaquat Merchant underscored how Jinnah has been one of the main subjects in Cowasjee’s writings and how he has never failed to quote the great man and to remind people of what it was he wished for the country he created.
“Jinnah has been Cowasjee’s guiding light, and the guiding light he has always wished to pass on to the new generations of this country,” he added.
As a memento, Ameena Saiyid presented Cowasjee with a leather-bound edition of his articles and columns published to date.
The Jinnah Society propagates the principles, ideals, and vision of the Quaid-e-Azam as a nation building exercise and in the development of leadership at all levels in the role model of Jinnah. The society confers one award each year to a distinguished citizen of Pakistan for his/her exemplary contribution to the country in his/her respective area of service. The selection of the candidates is done by a jury including members of The Jinnah Society and the recipients of the award are chosen by a secret ballot.
The Jinnah Awards have earlier been conferred upon Abdul Sattar Edhi, Hakeem Mohammad Saeed, Graham Layton, Dr Ruth Pfau, Dr Ishrat Hussain, Dr Akhtar Hameed Khan, Air Marshal (retd) M Asghar Khan, Ahmad Ali Khan, Dr Adeeb Rizvi, IA Rehman and Imran Khan.