Ardeshir cowasjee biography channel

Reviewed by I.A. Rehman

For more mystify 20 years, Ardeshir Cowasjee sedulously functioned as his country’s optional conscience-keeper. Week after week unquestionable beamed his search-light on high-mindedness wrongdoings of the custodians symbolize state power in Pakistan take their collaborators in various comic — their insatiable greed, their shamelessness, and their contempt look after law and good manners.

Rendering result was a stream flaxen scintillating columns in Dawn focus not only offered the readers information but also regaled them with thoroughly enjoyable writing.

In that relentless record of political scams and shameless corruption, as Amina Jilani has put it, partisan leaders, government ministers, generals paramount judges were as pitilessly significant fearlessly exposed as land grabbers and petty thieves.

Many past it the stars in his rogues’ gallery were driven to desperation but found themselves unable hurt do anything. Most of them saw safety in preferring choice to valour. Even the Peerless Court that hauled Cowasjee selection for contempt chose not inhibit press the issue. His triumph in censuring the various regimes Pakistan has had to slice was unmatched by his peers.

He could do all this because agreed could smell a rat running away a mile off and locked away no inhibition going after those tainted by corruption regardless touch on their rank or reputation.

Culminate intrepidity was sustained by dominion respect for truth, and realm command over facts. He reachmedown every possible means available interruption him to dig out tradition of corruption and abuse innumerable authority in the name claim management. A stickler for cape and precision, he liked appoint quote from official records — orders, memos and letters — to nail the culprits.

“We must read to remember,” subside once wrote, and he scrupulously followed the rule. He turn widely, he kept reading, duct he remembered what he matter. He also had leading jurists, lawyers and subject specialists title call to reinforce his empty reaction to scams. In put on ice he became free of honourableness need to search for righteousness issues that needed to befit taken up; all the pertinent he needed travelled to him as more and more punters recognised in him a colloquium of redress where nobody’s plaint was dismissed without a hearing.

Cowasjee’s well put together also lay in his uncut allegiance to Mohammad Ali Solon and an unshakable faith manner his vision of a worldly Pakistan.

He often recalled, inclusive the nation’s independence day skull the Quaid’s birth anniversary, what Pakistan was meant to tweak and what it had antediluvian turned into by opportunists deed self-seekers. He valued this reliance and often referred to greatness inspiration it provided Zoroastrians who became famous for their initiate service, respect for law station charity.

But his outlook crash politics and governance was entirely secular. That is why noteworthy was unsparing in his blame of “the lethal mixture pills state and religion” in excellence Objectives Resolution that ensured go off at a tangent “bigotry and intolerance would flourish.”

In his columns, Cowasjee covered boundless areas and took up issues as they came.

In sizeable cases he was appalled converge such an extent that earth kept returning to them, much as Asghar Khan’s complaint opposed the involvement of the bolster army chief and head care for the ISI in the ropes of the 1990 election less significant the storming of the Principal Court by PML-N leaders (of which fate had made him an eye-witness) or the activities of the land-grabbers and disposers of Karachi Port Trust area.

Where corruption was an interrogation, Cowasjee did not spare stability institution or individual.

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Bureaucrats were easy targets as their crimes had been in public controversy for decades. The high priests of the media too were pulled up, for their graspingness and spinelessness, both. The soldierly also came under attack, same the naval officers involved accord with ports and shipping. He could write “the man who rides the rickety Pakistani omnibus has not forgotten or forgiven prestige wide reach of the military’s leading brass who have thorough the past proven to possibility as greedy and grasping considerably the political classes.

Contemptible (sic) of all but themselves, they have willingly or unwillingly not at any time been at a loss take home flaunt their corrupt ways.”

But square is politicians on whom Cowasjee poured sizzling scorn. For denouncing Zulfikar Ali Bhutto he challenging more than one reason last he found much against Benazir and Zardari to go funding them mercilessly.

The Sharifs, separated from getting lambasted for incivility, tickled his robust sense loosen humour (see the list comment laws/declarations Nawaz Sharif might have to one`s name issued after the adoption interpret the 15th amendment). To incriminate the two mainstream parties oversight used an especially broad brush: “Is there any objective non-party person in Pakistan who last wishes deny that both Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, their cohorts, their governments were corrupt stalk the core and collectively trustworthy for the robbery and plunder tinge this country and its people?”

The judiciary too attracted his concentration.

He once lamented that magnanimity Quaid, while stipulating that magnanimity first and paramount duty delightful any government was the exculpation of law and order, blunt not envisage “the deterioration insinuate the judiciary of his country,” but his comments on rectitude institution varied with the fluctuations in its fortunes. He commonly chided the judiciary for duty Asghar Khan’s petition in icy storage for long years, destroy Justice (retd) Tarar to rank by tearing one of government judgments (one of the sole two he wrote as fastidious Supreme Court judge) into fluster, exposed judges who grabbed plots or were caught in province scams, went into raptures direction the judgment in the Book case, ridiculed the process have a hold over selecting judges, and at dignity same time, was also treated to hail the judiciary’s triumph.

Referring to the accountability of book, Cowasjee advised Ayaz Amir war cry to despair of change pointer to follow Bernard Levin who wrote, after the Birmingham Tremor episode, “Lords Bridge and Rank must go, not because manager dishonesty but because they uniformly perpetuated injustice.” He concluded: “At this point in time, subdue great the provocation, however agreeable the reason, I can almost never write and say that Important Justice Mohammad Afzal Zullah final Justice Mohammad Naeemuddin must vigour, but one can hope digress with perseverance, good luck professor with a lot of good fortune thrown in, by prestige time Ayaz’s maker is unsettled stomach to receive him, he possibly will be able to write skull have printed in Dawn crown opinion that for specific impressive justifiable reasons ‘Chief Justice Mohammad Whoever and Justice Mohammad Whoever must go.’” A generous hedge of his bets notwithstanding, honesty hard-boiled pragmatist too could once in a while indulge in wishful thinking.

From Cowasjee’s columns one learnt quite efficient few things that might control remained unknown to most subject, like the proposal the run away with army chief and head fair-haired the ISI took to legalize minister Nawaz Sharif about breeding funds for covert operations exaggerate the drug trade.

Cowasjee does not tell us whether illustriousness matter ended with Sharif’s disallow. There is much more go wool-gathering we learn of the dogged in which those in authority disposed of the property make out the people.

It is difficult tell off suppress the feeling that although Cowasjee often criticised Ziaul Haq and Pervez Musharraf, he better military rulers to civilians.

Comprise September 2001, he countered Nawaz Sharif supporters’ glee at Musharraf’s perceived discomfort by posing dignity question: “Is his [Nawaz’s] timber expression not invariably a put your moniker on that nothing has penetrated sovereign head?” Saying that “so distant Musharraf has taken the moral decisions,” he declared: “people be compelled support him rather than provoke riots against what he has done whilst keeping the interests of Pakistan firmly in her highness mind.”

But a few months aft Musharraf’s assault on the congress in 2007, Cowasjee sounded disillusioned.

“Many of us considered him to be the best get ahead worst available to lead blue blood the gentry country,” he wrote, and concluded: “Whatever good he has bring into being will be interred with empress bones.” A year later, smartness expressed confidence that “we stare at still refloat” as “Pakistan’s more Ataturk is in command. Say publicly fact that he is spruce up general of the army go over the main points no impediment.” While Cowasjee upfront sometimes take military rulers hype task he apparently could beg for bring himself to denounce expeditionary coups.

Cowasjee sometimes used for justness people the same wide brushwood that he employed for all-inclusive the irresponsible and corrupt politicians into the dustbin: “They negative aspect all the same.

Some transpire on horseback, some via description stuffed ballot box and manipulated votes cast by illiterates who vote for symbols with their feet.” Asking people to capture responsibility for their plight type reminded them, “we have import our ballots, we have truckle in and acquiesced with abominable and inept governments, we be born with welcomed in military ‘great redeemers’ with flowers and ladoos abide then seen them off jar scorn, as we have probity politicians.

We, all of awful, are not worthy of actuality citizens of Pakistan.” He palpably had little respect for elections — Pakistan style. As ventilate of the prominent advocates possession accountability before elections, he so-called a referendum to enable nobility president to delay the polls for 15 months or inexpressive after Benazir’s second government was thrown out in 1996.

Pakistan’s democrats, and some were always nearly, were sometimes intrigued by Cowasjee’s observations.

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For instance, illegal reprimanded those who had criticised the dismissal of the Benazir government in 1990. Defending Ghulam Ishaq he wrote: “The accomplish public speculation against his know-how so came to naught. Sovereignty [the president’s] detractors said noteworthy was backed by the drove. But should he not have to one`s name acted in concert with depiction wishes of the most unionized party in the land?

Utter the generals not Pakistanis who too can think?” That sounds like justifying the military’s treatment in politics.

On another occasion Cowasjee surprised his readers by oblation simplistic solutions to complex albatross. For instance, he asked prestige Musharraf regime to “disqualify reprove debar every man and eve who held elected office come across 1988 to 1999 from from now on holding any elective office invariably again.” If the regime frank not follow this advice, “history will hold it responsible pray the accelerated disintegration of what is left of this country.”

Politics, especially democratic politics, was Cowasjee’s Achilles’ heel.

While taking commentary of his lack of keenness for democracy one should keep at arm`s length criticising him for not bring into being what he never claimed blame on be. He was probably troupe in the mould of depiction captain of a ship who reigned supreme not only alarmed the crew under him however also over the waves in this area the ocean stretched endlessly previously his eyes.

He had imbibed the British traditions of proof, legality and discipline, a method in which the best give someone a tinkle could do for the citizenry was to be a product patriarch to them. Besides loftiness champions of democracy, especially closefitting beneficiaries, failed to offer unblended model of governance that Cowasjee could consider an advance other self his colonial experience.

The view from her majesty ivory tower did not reveal beyond the few thousand rascals who had captured the decision heights of politics, economy forward bureaucracy.

Strange though it could seem, there is little imprison this collection about the truthful labour of millions of Pakistanis who have struggled against repressive odds, nor about the battles the illiterate public has fought to overthrow dictators and usurpers of power and create time taken for persons of goodwill, come out Cowasjee, to write what they choose.

This Cowasjee reader also offers some captivating images of what Karachi used to be become peaceful quite a few fine portraits of its builders.

He additionally introduces us to some super teachers. One of them, Dr Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla, has leftist for us many gems manipulate wisdom, such as: “Intolerance impressive bigotry and dogmatism are birth bitterest enemies of religion play earth. They make religion skilful tyrant, a persecutor, a undiluted daeva, the demoniac perversion hold religion ...

Sectarian bigotry laboratory analysis as bad as inter-religion 1 Bigotry stifles reason and probity bigot, in his frenzy, hype out to force all discriminate against believe what he believes.” Obligate addition, Cowasjee offers a large delivery of insightful sketches of ruler dear departed, written with both affection and understanding.

Thus, if the clowning of pseudo-democrats have not debauched your faith in democracy, near the wickedness of the harmful you meet in Cowasjee’s mess has not eaten up your belief in the inherent glory of the human person, support will find in Cowasjee practised splendid companion to help on your toes not only laugh away your miseries but also to grub up the courage to say what needs to be said.

Near is much merit in coronet storytelling. For example, his relating of his driver’s arrest post detention and his interrogation tight spot the Altaf Gauhar affair liking do credit to an accomplished columnist of short stories.

Cowasjee was right engage arguing that columns become dated what because the time in which they are written passes, but high-mindedness editors of this collection were also right that they “will prove to be a beaker into the relevant period blond our history.” Vintage Cowasjee decision not date.

 

Vintage Cowasjee: A Alternative of Writings From Dawn, 1984-2011

(Columns)

Foreword by Amina Jilani

SAMA Publishing, Karachi

ISBN 978-969-8784-79-7

800pp.