MEA rejects Pak claim, says Jinnah House is government of India property

A day after External Affair's Minister Sushma Swaraj said that her ministry is in the process of transferring the ownership of Jinnah House in Mumbai, New Delhi has dismissed any claims by Pakistanover the property and said it belongs to India.

Responding to WION's question on the Jinnah House, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, "You see Pakistan is not in the picture. They have no locus standi as far as this property is concerned. It is a government of India property. We are in the process of renovating it and putting it in an effective use on lines of what we do in Hyderabad House."

"Our stand is very clear. It is our property. No doubt in the mind it is anybody's property," he later added.

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The reaction from MEA came on the back of Pakistani Foreign Mohammad Faisal‏ saying that Islamabad will not relinquish claims over the property.

The Minister of External Affair Sushma Swaraj in a letter to MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha had said, "We are in the process of transferring the ownership of the property in our name. Activities relating to renovation and refurbishment of Jinnah House to develop it on the pattern of facilities available in Hyderabad House in Delhi would be undertaken in due course".

Approval of Prime Minister's office (PMO) was sought for transfer of the property from Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to MEA and PMO has accorded the necessary approval.

Jinnah House, officially known as South Court was built by Muhammad Ali Jinnah who played an instrumental role in the partition of India and Pakistan. It was his main residence until he left for Pakistan after the partition. The matter to transfer the property came up in front of several governments from the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru to Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Nehru wanted it to be given to Pakistan government in 1955, he, however, was not allowed to do so because of the cabinet's refusal.

In 1980 the then Foreign Minister Narasimha Rao agreed to lease the property to Pakistan for its consulate but the plan did not get any approval. The issue was also raised by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf with former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The property was built in 1936 for around two lakhrupees. After Independence, Jinnah House was used by the British High Commissioner until 1982. From 1982 onwards the premises was placed under the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). Based on the recommendations of the committee of secretaries in 1988 and with the approval of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Ministry of Urban Development advised CPWD to hand over Jinnah House to ICCR. In 1996, a decision was taken by the Prime Minister to establish a cultural centre at Jinnah House. The house was transferred to ICCR on February 4, 1997.

Dina Wadia, the daughter of Jinnah who opted India to be her home, was involved in litigation to claim rights over property. She died last year in new york.