Fatima Jinnah ( ur, ; 31 July 1893 – 9 July 1967), widely known as Māder-e Millat ("Mother of the Nation"), was a Pakistani stateswoman, politician, dental surgeon and one of the leading
founders
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of Pakistan. She was the younger sister of
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan and the first
Governor General of Pakistan
The governor-general of Pakistan ( ur, ) was the representative of the Pakistani monarch in the Dominion of Pakistan, established by the Indian Independence Act 1947. The office of governor-general was abolished when Pakistan became an Islami ...
.
She was
Leader of the Opposition of Pakistan from 1960 until her death in 1967.
After obtaining a
dental degree from the
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a public collegiate state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered one of best state research university all over India every year, ...
in 1923, then she became the first female dentist of undivided India, she became a close associate and an adviser to her older brother, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who later became the first Governor General of Pakistan. A strong critic of the
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was him ...
, she emerged as a strong advocate of the
two nation theory
The two-nation theory is an ideology of religious nationalism that influenced the decolonisation of the British Raj in South Asia. According to this ideology, Indian Muslims and Indian Hindus are two separate nations, with their own customs, ...
and a leading member of the
All-India Muslim League
The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party established in Dhaka in 1906 when a group of prominent Muslim politicians met the Viceroy of British India, Lord Minto, with the goal of securing Muslim interests on the Indian subcont ...
.
After the
independence of Pakistan, Jinnah co-founded the
Pakistan Women's Association which played an integral role in the settlement of the women migrants in the newly formed country. She remained the closest confidant of her brother until
his death. After his death, Fatima was banned from addressing the nation until 1951; her 1951 radio address to the nation was heavily censored by the
Liaquat administration.
She wrote the book
''My Brother'', in 1955 but it was only published 32 years later, in 1987, due to censorship by
the establishment
''The Establishment'' is a term used to describe a dominant group or elite that controls a polity or an organization. It may comprise a closed social group that selects its own members, or entrenched elite structures in specific institution ...
, who had accused Fatima of "anti-nationalist material." Even when published several pages from the book's manuscript were left out.
Jinnah came out of her self-imposed political retirement in 1965 to participate in the
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
against military dictator
Ayub Khan. She was backed by a consortium of political parties, and despite political rigging by the military, won two of Pakistan's largest cities,
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
and
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...
.
The U.S. magazine,
''Time'', while reporting on the 1965 election campaign, wrote that Jinnah faced attacks on her modesty and patriotism by
Ayub Khan and his allies.
Jinnah died in Karachi on 9 July 1967. Her death is subject to controversy, as some reports have alleged that she died of unnatural causes. Her family members had demanded an inquiry, however the government blocked their request. She remains one of the most honoured leaders in Pakistan, with nearly half a million people attending her funeral in Karachi.
Her legacy is associated with her support for
civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...
, her struggle in the
Pakistan Movement
The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the per ...
and her devotion to her brother. Referred to as ''Māder-e Millat'' ("
Mother of the Nation
The Father of the Nation is an honorific title given to a person considered the driving force behind the establishment of a country, state, or nation. (plural ), also seen as , was a Roman honorific meaning the "Father of the Fatherland", best ...
") and ''Khātūn-e Pākistān'' ("Lady of Pakistan"), many
institutions and public spaces in Pakistan have been named in her honour.
Early life and background
Fatima was born into the
Jinnah family on 31 July 1893, the youngest of seven children to Jinnahbhai Poonja and his wife Mithibai, in
Kathiawar
Kathiawar () is a peninsula, near the far north of India's west coast, of about bordering the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the Gulf of Khambhat (Gulf of Cambay) in the east. In the northeast, it is ...
,
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
, during the
Bombay Presidency in British India.
Fatima had six siblings:
Muhammad Ali, Ahmad Ali, Bunde Ali, Rahmat Ali, Maryam, and Shireen Jinnah. Of her siblings she was the closest to Muhammad Ali Jinnah who became her guardian upon the death of their father in 1901.
She joined the Bandra Convent in
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...
in 1902. In 1919, she was admitted to the highly competitive
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a public collegiate state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered one of best state research university all over India every year, ...
where she attended the
Dr. R. Ahmed Dental College. After she graduated, she opened a dental clinic in Bombay in 1923.
Jinnah lived with her brother until 1918, when he married
Rattanbai Petit
Rattanbai Jinnah (''née'' Petit; 20 February 1900 – 20 February 1929), also known as Ruttie Jinnah, was the wife of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, an important figure in the creation of Pakistan and the country's founder. Additionally, Rattanbai Petit ...
. Upon Rattanbai's death in February 1929, she closed her clinic, moved into her brother Muhammad Ali Jinnah's bungalow to care for her niece
Dina Jinnah
Dina Wadia (born Dina Jinnah; 15 August 19192 November 2017) was the daughter of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan and Rattanbai Petit. She belonged to the prominent Jinnah family through her father, the Petit fa ...
and took charge of his house. This transition began the lifelong companionship that lasted until her brother's death on 11 September 1948.
Political life and the Presidential election of 1965
![Fatima Jinnah](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Fatima_Jinnah.JPG)
Jinnah accompanied her brother to every public appearance that he made. She travelled to
London, England
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
in 1930 where she learned to speak English. Jinnah lived there for 4 years. After she moved back to India, Jinnah sought to make an independent homeland for Indian Muslims.
During the
transfer of power in 1947, Jinnah formed the Women's Relief Committee, which later formed the nucleus for the
All Pakistan Women's Association
The All Pakistan Women's Association, or APWA, ( ur, آل پاکستان ویمنز ایسوسی ایشن) as it is commonly known, is a voluntary, non-profit and non-political Pakistani organisation whose fundamental aim is the promotion of mo ...
(APWA) founded by
Rana Liaquat Ali Khan
गुल-इ-राणा ( Kumaoni)
, image = Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan (1961).jpg
, imagesize =
, alt =
, smallimage =
, caption = Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan in 1961
, alongside =
, predecessor = Mir Rasool Bux Talpur
, p ...
. She also played a significant role in the settlement of
Muhajirs in the new state of Pakistan.
Presidential election of 1965
In the 1960s, Jinnah returned to the forefront of political life when she ran for the presidency of Pakistan as a candidate for the Combined Opposition Party of Pakistan (COPP). She described her opponent, Ayub Khan, as a dictator.
In her early rallies, nearly 250,000 people thronged to see her in
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...
, and a million lined the 293-mile route from there to
Chittagong. Her train, called the Freedom Special, was 22 hours late because men at each station pulled the emergency cord, and begged her to speak. The crowds hailed her as ''Madr-e-Millat'', (Mother of the Nation).
In her speeches, she argued that by coming to terms with India on the
Indus Water dispute, Ayub had surrendered control of the rivers to India. She narrowly lost the election, winning a majority in some provinces. The election did not involve direct democracy of the population, and some journalists and historians believe that if it had been a direct election she could have won.
Jinnah, popularly acclaimed as the ''Madr-e-Millat'', or Mother of the Nation
for her role in the Freedom Movement, contested the 1965 elections at the age of 71.
Except for her brief tour to
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, wi ...
in 1954, she had not participated in politics since Independence. After the imposition of martial law by Ayub Khan, she once wished the regime well.
Yet after martial law was lifted, she sympathized with the opposition as she was strongly in favor of democratic ideals.
Being sister of her beloved brother, she was held in high esteem, and came to symbolize the democratic aspirations of the people. The electoral landscape changed when Jinnah decided to contest the elections for the president's office in 1965. She was challenging the dictator and self-proclaimed "president" Ayub Khan in the indirect election, which Ayub Khan had himself instituted.
Presidential candidates for the vote of 1965 were announced before commencement of the Basic Democracy elections, which was to constitute the Electoral College for the Presidential and Assembly elections. There were two major parties contesting the election, the Convention Muslim League and the Combined Opposition Parties. The Combined Opposition Parties consisted of five major opposition parties. It had a nine-point program, which included restoration of direct elections, adult franchise and democratization of the 1962 Constitution. The opposition parties of Combined Opposition Parties were not united and did not possess any unity of thought and action. They were unable to select presidential candidates from amongst themselves; therefore they selected Jinnah as their candidate.
Elections were held on 2 January 1965. There were four candidates: Ayub Khan, Fatima Jinnah and two obscure persons with no party affiliation.
There was a short campaigning period of one month, which was further restricted to nine projection meetings that were organized by the Election Commission and were attended only by the members of the Electoral College and members of the press. The public was barred from attending the projection meetings, which would have enhanced Jinnah's image.
Ayub Khan had a great advantage over the rest of the candidates. The Second Amendment to the Constitution confirmed him as president till the election of his successor. Armed with the wide-ranging constitutional powers of a President, he exercised complete control over all governmental machinery during elections. He utilized the state facilities as head of state, not as the President of the Convention Muslim League or a presidential candidate, and did not hesitate to legislate on electoral matters. Bureaucracy and business, the two beneficiaries of the Ayub Khan regime, helped him in his election campaign. Taking advantage of political opportunities, he brought all the discontented elements together to support him; students were assured the revision of the University Ordinance and journalists the scrutiny of the Press Laws. Ayub Khan also gathered the support of the
Ulama
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
who were of the view that
Islam does not permit a woman to be the head of an
Islamic state
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
.
![Muhammad Ali Jinnah with sister Fatima Jinnah](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Muhammad_Ali_Jinnah_with_sister_Fatima_Jinnah.JPG)
Jinnah had detached herself from the political conflicts that had plagued Pakistan after the founder's death. The sight of her moving through the streets of big cities, and even in the rural areas of a Muslim country, added to her popularity. She proclaimed Ayub Khan to be a dictator. Jinnah's line of attack was that by coming to terms with the
Republic of India on the Indus Water dispute, Ayub had surrendered control of the rivers over to India. Her campaign generated tremendous public enthusiasm. She drew enormous crowds in all cities of East and West Pakistan. The campaign however suffered from a number of drawbacks. An unfair and unequal election campaign, poor finances, and indirect elections through the Basic Democracy System were some of the basic problems she faced.
Jinnah won the popular vote in the presidential election of 1965. However through post election rigging, coercion and manipulation of the electoral college, Ayub Khan got himself elected as the
President of Pakistan.
It is believed that had the elections been held via direct ballot, she would have won. The Electoral College consisted of only 80,000 Basic Democrats, who were easily manipulated. The importance of this election lay in the fact that a woman was contesting the highest political office of the country. The orthodox religious political parties, including the
Jamaat-e-Islami led by
Maulana Maududi, which had repeatedly declared that a woman could not hold the highest office of a Muslim country, modified their stance and supported the candidature of Jinnah. The election showed that the people had no prejudice against women holding high offices, and they could be key players in politics of the country.
During a lawsuit, Matloobul Hassan Syed deposed that during Jinnah's election campaign against General Ayub Khan, when some local Shia leaders told her that they would vote for Ayub, she contended that she could represent them better as she was a
Shia
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mo ...
.
According to Liaquat H. Merchant, "the Court was inclined to repose more trust in the avowed non-sectarian public stance of the Quaid and his sister".
Both Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his sister "carefully avoided a sectarian label."
Biography of Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Jinnah's unfinished biography of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, ''
My Brother'', was published by the
Quaid-i-Azam Academy The Quaid-i-Azam Academy ( ur, ) is an institution of the Pakistan Government to promote the study and understanding of the personality and work of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, his associates, the Pakistan Movement and of the various aspects o ...
in 1987.
Death
![Fatima Jinnah Tomb](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Fatima_Jinnah_Tomb.jpg)
Fatima Jinnah died in Karachi on 9 July 1967. The official cause of death was heart failure, but rumours persist that she was murdered at her house by the same group who killed
Liaquat Ali Khan
Liaquat Ali Khan ( ur, ; 1 October 1895 – 16 October 1951), also referred to in Pakistan as ''Quaid-e-Millat'' () or ''Shaheed-e-Millat'' ( ur, lit=Martyr of the Nation, label=none, ), was a Pakistani statesman, lawyer, political theoris ...
. In 2003, her nephew, Akbar Pirbhai, reignited the controversy by suggesting that she was assassinated. When Fatima Jinnah passed away in 1967, her private last rites were performed according to Shia guidelines and the state-sponsored namaz-e-janaza (Sunni burial) followed it. She is buried next to her brother, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, at
Mazar-e-Quaid
Mazar-e-Quaid ( ur, , lit=Mausoleum of the Leader) is the resting place of Muhammad Ali Jinnah situated in Karachi, Sindh. The marble monument comprises a surface area of . It is surrounded by formal gardens and designed in an Islamic modernist ...
, Karachi.
Honours and legacy
![Fatima Jinnah Park](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Fatima_Jinnah_Park.JPG)
Jinnah remained extremely popular and is considered one of the greatest female figures Pakistan has produced. Jinnah is a source of the awakening of
women's rights
Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
. In Pakistan, she rose to stand as Pakistan's national symbol, and unlike Ayub Khan who died in poor health and yet no honours were given him, Jinnah received tremendous honours from the society after her death.
Family and childhood
Family photos
File:Jinnah Poonjha.jpg, Jinnahbhai Poonja
Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...
File:Quaidportrait.jpg, Muhammad Ali Jinnah
File:Fatima jinnah1.jpg, Fatima Jinnah
File:Emibai Muhammad Ali Jinnah.jpg, Emibai Jinnah
Emibai Jinnah ( ur, ایمبائ جناح; 1878 - 1893) was the first cousin and the first wife of the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah from 1892 until her death in 1893.
Marriage and death
Emibai Jinnah was born in 1878 in Paneli ...
File:Maryam Jinnah portrait.jpg, Rattanbai Jinnah
Rattanbai Jinnah (''née'' Petit; 20 February 1900 – 20 February 1929), also known as Ruttie Jinnah, was the wife of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, an important figure in the creation of Pakistan and the country's founder. Additionally, Rattanbai Petit ...
Selected eponymous entities
*
Fatima Jinnah Colony Fatima Jinnah Colony ( ur, فاطمہ جناح کالونی ) is a neighborhood in the Karachi Central district of Karachi, Pakistan. It was previously administered as part of New Karachi Town, which was disbanded in 2011.
Currently it is renamed ...
*
Fatima Jinnah Dental College
*
Fatima Jinnah Medical University
Fatima Jinnah Medical University ( ur, ), previously known as Balak Ram Medical College, is a public medical university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Fatima Jinnah Medical University with its associated teaching hospital Sir Ganga Ram ...
*
Fatima Jinnah Park
Fatima Jinnah Park ( ur, ), also known as Capital Park or F-9 Park, is a public recreational park that spans the whole of Sector F-9 of Islamabad, Pakistan. It is named after ''Mādar-e Millat'' Fatima Jinnah, the younger sister of the founde ...
*
Fatima Jinnah Women University
See also
*
Jinnah family
*
Pakistan movement
The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the per ...
*
List of Pakistan Movement activists
This is a list of the activists of Pakistan Movement. The following is a list of people who played a prominent role in making of Pakistan as political leaders, religious scholars, freedom fighters and revolutionaries.
Background
The ''Founding ...
References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jinnah, Fatima
1893 births
1967 deaths
Fatima
Leaders of the Opposition (Pakistan)
Leaders of the Pakistan Movement
National symbols of Pakistan
Pakistani biographers
Pakistani dentists
Pakistani political candidates
Candidates for President of Pakistan
Presidents of Pakistan
Vice presidents of Pakistan
Khoja Ismailism
Pakistani Ismailis
University of Calcutta alumni
Women dentists
Pakistani people of Gujarati descent
Politicians from Karachi
Pakistani women medical doctors
Women members of the National Assembly of Pakistan
Members of the Pakistan Philosophical Congress
Women opposition leaders
Pakistani MNAs 1962–1965
Pakistani MNAs 1965–1969
20th-century dentists
20th-century Pakistani women politicians