THE death anniversary of Madar-i-Millat Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, the sister of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, passed earlier this month without getting much coverage in the media, or any particular attention paid by either the government or the opposition.

This is not strange, considering that she was not given respect even during her lifetime. She was barred from addressing the nation till 1951, and her radio address to the nation was heavily censored by the administration for unknown reasons. Her book, My Brother, written in 1955 was not allowed publication till 1987, and that was also after deleting several pages from the manuscript. She was considered ‘anti-state’ by the powerful segments of the state.

She came out from self-imposed political retirement in 1965 to contest presidential election against President Ayub Khan, but ‘lost’ despite having the popular vote.

Malik ul Quddoos Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2024