Mohammad Ali Jinnah and his deputy in the Muslim League and the first prime minister of Pakistan, Liquat Ali Khan had left large properties in India.
In terms of valuations of their properties in present context, they must be costing close to Rs700- Rs750 crores.
Jinnah had one house each in the most exclusive areas of both Mumbai (then Bombay) and in New Delhi. While he managed to sell his 10, Aurangjeb Road mansion here before going to Pakistan, the house in Malabar Hill in Mumbai remained unsold.
This house was designed according to European architecture. Even though his estrange daughter, Dina claimed that house many times, the Indian government had never accepted her claim. It is a well-known fact that Dina is the mother of Bombay Dyeing Chairman, Nusli Wadia. And since long Pakistan too has been asking for that house of their founding father to start their Mumbai consulate. And the Indian government has always rejected this request.
Mumbaikar Zafar Iqbal, an ex-IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre, says that considering the prime location where Jinnah house of Mumbai is situatated, it is a gold mine. It would be not less than Rs 125 crores in today’s context. It is a dream house.
Delhi’s Jinnah house is little unfortunate in the sense that unlike the Jinnah house of Mumbai, this has never remained in news.
It is said that Jinnah started visiting more often than not in this part of the country after 1940 when Muslim League demanded a separate state for the Indian Muslims. Before he purchased his Delhi house, he used to stay either at Hotel Maidens or Imperial Hotel instead of staying with some of his party leaders.
It is said that Jinnah was not very keen of having a house in Delhi to start with. But after some of his close Muslim league colleagues including LiquatAli Khan persuaded him to have one here, he purchased 10 Aurangjeb Road house.
In fact, Muslim league leaders also convinced him that as he would have to visit Delhi to meet and organise the Muslims, hence he must have his own house here. In this house, Altaf Hussain, the editor of The DAWN, the organ of Muslim League, used to stay. The Dawn during those days used to publish from Darya Ganj.
Jinnah, who belonged to Islamia Khoja community of Gujarat, had sold this house to Ram Krishna Dalmia for less than Rs3 lakhs. Inarguably a very big sum in 1947. Realty experts say that the present cost of 10, Aurangjeb Road would be not be less than Rs200 crores at any cost whatsoever.
The likes of Laxmi Mittal and KP Singh of DLF too have huge mansions on this very road. And from exclusive Aurangjeb Road, Tilak Lane is also not very far away. In a huge mansion on this lane, LiquatAli Khan used t live with his pretty wife, Gul-e-rana, a teacher of English in IP college of Delhi University.
Liquat Ali Khan, who later became the first prime minister of Pakistan, had huge properties in both Delhi and Karnal. Unfortunately, he too could not dispose off his house while going to the county which created. It is said that later Indian government took over the control of his house. And Indian government given that house to Pakistan government to make it the official residence of their Delhi based high-commissioner. And lastly, Khan was killed in a same place in 1951 where Benazir Bhutto was killed.
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