india

Updated: Dec 20, 2018 09:12 IST

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said her ministry is in the process of acquiring Jinnah House, originally owned by the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Swaraj said Jinnah House would be converted into a venue along the lines of Hyderabad House in New Delhi.

In a letter to city Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Mangal Prabhat Lodha, she said the ministry is in process of “transferring the ownership of the property in our name”. Speaking to HT, Lodha said, “The move by the government will end the controversy about the ownership and how it should be utilised.”

Jinnah House has been the subject of a legal battle between the government of India and Jinnah’s daughter Dina Wadia, who in 2007 petitioned in Bombay high court to regain control of the property. Wadia died in November last year.

Built in 1936 on a 2.5-acre plot, Jinnah House was designed by architect Claude Batley and stands opposite the Maharashtra chief minister’s official residence, Varsha. The protected heritage structure was the location of a crucial meeting between Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi and Jinnah before Partition. At one point, Pakistan had wanted to set up its Mumbai consulate in Jinnah House.

In a letter to Lodha, dated December 5, Swaraj wrote, “I have received your letter dated October 5, 2018, regarding Jinnah House, Mumbai, and got the matter examined by the officers of the ministry. Subsequently, the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) instructed us to renovate and refurbish Jinnah House to develop it on the pattern of facilities available in Hyderabad House in Delhi.” Swaraj’s letter also said the PMO has granted the necessary approvals for this project. “We are in the process of transferring the ownership in our name,” said the letter.

Built in 1928, Hyderabad House was constructed for the last nizam of Hyderabad and was acquired by the government of India after Independence.