Mumbai: Foreign ministry of India has decided to take over the magnificent Jinnah House. The house of the founder of Pakistan is a sea-facing bungalow located at the posh area on Malabar Hill in Mumbai. The said building will be developed as a venue for official banquets and meetings with top dignitaries, on the lines of Hyderabad House of New Delhi. The original name of the building is South Court which is very splendid.
The house constructed in 1936 during freedom struggle is witness to the several meetings of Mahatma Gandhi, Jinnah and Nehru.
Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj informed about the decision to take over Jinnah House.
Meanwhile, India and Pakistan on Thursday engaged in a verbal duel over ownership of the property. While New Delhi claims that the building belongs to India, Pakistan says any attempt by India to take the building would not be accepted and had earlier demanded that the property should be handed over to it for housing its Mumbai consulate.
It must be recalled that in August 2007, Jinnah’s daughter, Dina Wadia, had approached the Bombay High Court, claiming that as his sole legal heir, she should be granted possession of the house. After her death, her son Nusli Wadia is carrying on the litigation.