The 49th death anniversary of Fatima Jinnah is being observed with reverence and respect on Saturday (today).
Various political parties and women wings of many organisations have arranged conferences and seminars to highlight the services rendered by Madar-i-Millat Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah. The radio, TV channels and newspapers, on the other hand, are addressing her struggles for the formation of Pakistan.
Fatima Jinnah played a vital role in the creation of Pakistan. Mohammad Ali Jinnah was deeply affected after his wife’s death in 1929. Fatima Jinnah worked side by side with Mohammad Ali Jinnah and gathered the women of sub-continent on one platform which made the struggle for achieving a separate state of Muslims easier.
In 1947, Jinnah formed the Women s Relief Committee, which later formed the nucleus for the All Pakistan Women s Association (APWA). She also played a significant role in the settlement of Muhajirs in the new state of Pakistan.
Jinnah is referred as the Madar-i-Millat or Mother of the Nation for her role in the Freedom Movement. She returned to the political forefront to contest the 1964 elections at the age of 71 against the military administrator, Ayub Khan.
Fatima Jinnah died in Karachi on 9 July 1967. The official cause of death was heart failure, but rumours suggest that she was murdered at her house. It is claimed that some officials of the local Karachi police said that she was found beheaded in her drawing room.
In 2003, the nephew of the Quaid-e-Azam, Akbar Pirbhai, reignited the controversy by suggesting that she was assassinated by the Ayub Khan establishment.
Fatima Jinnah is still remembered for her passionate support for civil rights, and devoted struggle in Pakistan Movement.
