Daughter of Pakistan’s founder – Dina Wadia – passes away at 98

MUMBAI (AFP): Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s daughter Dina Wadia breathed her last today as she passed away at the age of 98.

She is survived by her son Indian industrialist Nusli Wadia.

According to sources within her family, Dina Wadia died today and her funeral activities will soon be taken care of. She was born in London on August 15, 1919.

About Dina Wadia

Dina was the only child of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Rattanbai Petit – who was known as Maryam Jinnah after marriage. She was a pampered child and enjoyed a deep attachment with her father.

Her mother died in 1929 of cancer. The daughter-father relationship never deepened after Dina s marriage. It is worth mentioning that Jinnah never issued any legal notice to disown her daughter. She never traveled to Pakistan until her father s funeral in Karachi in September 1948.

In 2004, she was invited to watch a cricket match between India and Pakistan in Lahore. She accepted the offer and supported cricket diplomacy .

In 2007, Dina filed petition in Mumbai High Court and demanded the authorities to hand over the Jinnah’s Mumbai mansion to her. She said that the property cannot be classified as “evacuee property”, as her father had died without leaving behind a will. Quaid-e-Azam’s residence in Mumbai is situated in Malabar Hill. Jinnah mainly lived in his Bombay mansion before the independence and moved to Karachi later on. Jinnah House was built in 1936 and it was vacated by Quaid in 1947 partition.

In March, a lawmaker belonging from BJP demanded that the residence of Pakistan’s founder should be demolished. He recommended building a cultural centre in place of the iconic Jinnah House.

Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Mangal Prabhat Lodha expressed his rage in the Indian legislative assembly. While addressing the issue of budget of Public Works Department, he called Jinnah House the place from where the conspiracy of partition started.

Her grandson Ness Wadia and Jehangir Wadia are both renowned Indian businessmen. Ness Wadia is the part of board of directors of several companies and also, owns shares in IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab.