68 Non-Muslims from Pakistan That Have Made the Country a Better Place

And guess what – 18 of the 68 are Parsis!  A  microscopic minority becomes a majority when it comes to relevance and performance!

Pakistan is a nation of over 180 million people, both Muslims and non-Muslims. Often times, we tend to put emphasis on Muslims who made Pakistan proud. There’s no denying the contribution of Muslims to the cause of Pakistan, however, it’s time we celebrated the folks who represent the white stripe on our flag.

2. Ardeshir Cowasjee

ArdeshirCowasjee

Ardeshir Cowasjee is a leading philanthropist, businessman and columnist based in Karachi. He is theChairman of Cowasjee Group and is engaged in philanthropic activities apart from being regarded as an old‘guardian’ of the city of Karachi.

 

4. Deena M. Mistri

DeenaMMistri

Deena M. Mistri was an educationist from Pakistan. She started teaching English to the secondary classes at the B.V.S. in 1951. She was the first lady teacher to teach the secondary classes during those days. Mrs. Deena M. Mistri served the Bai Virbaijee Soparivala Parsi High School for 55 years.

5. Byram Dinshawji Avari

ByramDinshawji

Byram Dinshawji Avari is a prominent Pakistani businessman and twice Asian Games gold medalist. Together with his sons, Dinshaw and Xerxes, he owns and operates the Avari Group of companies, of which he is the chairman.

8. Aban Marker Kabraji

Aban Marker Kabraji

Aban Marker Kabraji, Pakistan’s leading environmentalist, is working as Regional Director IUCN, World Conservation Union. In this position, she is overseeing IUCN in 23 countries of the region.

11. Bapsi Sidhwa

Bapsi Sidhwa

Bapsi Sidhwa is a renowned novelist and published author of Pakistani origin who writes in English and is resident in America. She has previously taught at the University of Houston, Rice University, Columbia University, Mount Holyoke College, and Brandeis University.

15. Jamshed Nusserwanjee Mehta

Jamshed Nusserwanjee Mehta

Jamshed Nusserwanjee Mehta was the first elected Mayor of Karachi and remembered as the “Maker of Modern Karachi”.

16. Jamsheed Kaikobad Ardeshir Marker

Jamsheed Kaikobad Ardeshir Marker

Jamsheed Kaikobad Ardeshir Marker, Hilal-e-Imtiaz is a veteran Pakistani diplomat. He is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as having been ambassador to more countries than any other person. He speaks English, Urdu, Gujarati, French, German, Russian and was Pakistan’s top envoy to the United States and more than a dozen other countries for more than three decades.

20. Minocher Bhandara

Minocher Bhandara

Minocher Bhandara, was a Pakistani businessman, minority representative and member of the National Assembly. He was the architect and owner of one of the most successful and durable business conglomerates in Pakistan. Amongst his companies was the Murree Brewery, which his father had bought controlling share of in during the 1940s.

24. Justice Rustam Sohrabji Sidhwa

Justice Rustam Sohrabji Sidhwa

Justice Rustam Sohrabji Sidhwa was a former judge on the Supreme Court of Pakistan as well as one of the original eleven judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

34. Justice Dorab Framrose Patel

Justice Dorab Framrose

Justice Dorab Framrose Patel was a Pakistan jurist, and lawmaker who served as a former senior judge of Supreme Court of Pakistan and former Chief Justice of Sindh High Court. Justice Patel was a prominent campaigner for the human rights, the founding member of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) in 1987 and the co-founder of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

41. Jimmy Engineer

Jimmy Engineer

Jimmy Engineer is an internationally acclaimed artist and humanitarian who has exhibited his work across the globe. He uses his art to promote the message of peace and tolerance while at the same time spreading a positive image of Pakistan. A recipient of Sitara-e-Hilal, Pakistan’s third highest civilian honor for his outstanding contributions to art and charitable causes, Jimmy continues his passion for making this world a better place through his artistic and humanitarian initiatives.

44. Perin Cooper Boga

Perin Cooper Boga

Perin Cooper Boga is a veteran of theatre in Pakistan. Her association with Kinnaird College Lahore, where she nurtured theatre, drama and dance, spans over half a century. The college produced many prominent theatre and drama practitioners including Yasmin Tahir, Madiha Gauhar, Shamim Hilaly, Naveed Shehzad, Muneeza Hashmi etc. As an acknowledgment of her services, Kinnaird College named its amphitheatre after Perin Boga.

45. Dr. Faridoon Sethna

Dr Faridoon Sethna

Dr Faridoon Sethna is one of the most respected and eminent gynecologists in Pakistan currently serving as Chair and Medical Director of Concept Fertility Centre. He’s served as Medical Superintendent of Lady Dufferin Hospital Lyari for a number of years. Among his many patients was former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

48. Mani Sheriar Contractor

Mani Sheriar

Mani Sheriar Contractor was a prominent educationist who served at Karachi’s Mama Parsi School for over five decades. Her tenure at the school lasted from 1936-91, where her last 17 years were spent as Principal of the school. Her countless students spread all across the world remember her fondly for her total devotion to education, learning and character-building.

56. Zoe Viccaji
Zoe Viccaji
Pop sensation Zoe Viccaji has been playing guitar and writing her own music since the age of fifteen. She has written mostly English songs during her career, but is now shifting her attention to Eastern and Urdu material. Zoe spent the early part of her career as a painter, but soon realized that music was her true calling. She also acted in a few musicals abroad and two musicals ‘Mama Mia’ and ‘Chicago’ in Pakistan, soon after which she was asked to come on board for Coke Studio’s house band as a supporting vocalist. Soon enough, she went from being a supporting vocalist to a leading singer.

57. Framroze H. Punthakey

Framroze H. Punthakey
Framroze H. Punthakey was one of the pioneers of advertising industry in Pakistan. In the advertising community, Mr. Punthakey was an exacting and demanding professional for whom excellence was a byword. He turned many of those who worked under him into the kind of professionals who were able to establish their own agencies. His major clients were Beecham Pharmaceuticals, Engro Fertilizer, Excide Batteries, KLM, the Boeing Company and Johnson & Johnson. A crusader in the cause of democracy, Mr Punthakey was a staunch supporter of civilian rule and a life-long supporter of the Bhutto family and the Pakistan People’s Party.

60. Major General (Retd) Kaized Maneck Sopariwala

Major General (Retd) Kaized
Major General (Retd) Kaized Maneck Sopariwala was the first Parsi to rise to the position of a Major General in Pakistani Army. A 1986 graduate of US Army Command and Staff College, he was awarded Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) by then President Musharraf in 2002.

68. Emmy Minwala

Emmy Minwala

Renowned dancer Emmy Minwala was introduced as a dancer by M.J. Rana in Sabiha-Santosh starrer Sohni (1955). The film had lilting music by Feroze Nizami. Later, Emmy dances became the necessary ingredients of many Pakistani Films and she along with other dancers including Rakshi, Neelo, and Panna dominated the Pakistani film scene for nearly 2 decades.

 

 

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5 comments

  • A Parsi Zoroastrian anywhere will contribute to development, progress and peace.

  • I am searching for the Persons Name *Minu Nadar Engineer & Behroj Minu Engineer *and also *Firojshah Suramji Wajifdar / Wajikdar *may be please let me know if you have the persons

  • My name is Zahid buttt and I was raised in Karachi. My father was friends with Mr. Manek who was managing director of auto company which used to import Triumph motor cycles. It was a rich family and very educated and affluent and related or connected with Avari group. I know one kid who was named cyrus and he graduated from NED in 73/74

    My parents dead long ago and I left country in 1981. Can you find out and include this family . We used to beach luxury every year on Nau Roz party as guests of this family.

  • Maybe in eightys my aunty
    Miss: Mazrin Setna was miss Pakistan.

  • Mangesh Sirdeshpande

    I Salute these great personalities!
    They would have made any country proud of them!
    Wish they were here in Mother India !
    One hopes more like them come in our lives …
    God Bless All…

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