Indian lawmaker’s call to demolish Jinnah House unfortunate and disturbing: Imran Khan

BJP lawmaker Mangal Prabhat Lodha has urged India to declare the House 'enemy property'

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan has criticised the Indian lawmaker’s call to demolish the historic Jinnah House in Mumbai and build a cultural centre in its place.

"Indian parliamentarian's call to demolish Jinnah House unfortunate and disturbing. History cannot be wished away by demolishing buildings," he tweeted on Thursday.

Indian parliamentarians' calls to demolish Jinnah House unfortunate & disturbing. History cannot be wished away by demolishing buildings.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 6, 2017

Famed for its Italian marble and walnut-wood panelling, Jinnah House has been controlled by the Indian government since Quaid-e-Azam moved to Karachi in 1947.

Jinnah House in Mumbai. PHOTO: FILE

Last week, BJP MP Mangal Prabhat Lodha urged the  Indian government to declare Jinnah House "enemy property", and hand over the building to the Maharashtra state.



"The Jinnah residence was the place from where the conspiracy of Partition was hatched. Jinnah House is a symbol of the Partition. The structure should be demolished," Lodha had said.

Imran echoed the government's view that India should "respect the ownership rights of the government of Pakistan" on the disputed property.

Reacting to the ‘absurd’ demand, the Foreign Office spokesperson said the historic building should be handed over to Pakistan.

"Pakistan has repeatedly expressed its desire to take possession of the property... We also expect that the Indian government will fulfil its obligation of protecting that property and its upkeep," Nafees Zakaria said.

Jinnah’s daughter Dina Wadia, who remained in India, is engaged in a separate legal battle with the Indian government over the property. The stately building was labelled “evacuee property” in 1949, in accordance with the law that allowed the Indian government to take over properties of those who migrated to Pakistan after Partition. The Act has since been repealed.