ગુજરાતી
English
18 July 2020 (Courtesy BBC Gujarati, Google translation from Gujarati)
It was the day of 14 July 1948. The then Governor General Muhammad Ali Jinnah was taken from Quetta to Ziarat despite being ill.
After this, he stayed there only for 60 days and left this world on 11 September 1948.
What happened in those 60 days of the life of Pakistan’s Father of the Nation Muhammad Ali Jinnah is the subject of my article.
Who advised Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to be taken from Quetta to Ziarat despite being seriously ill, this mystery has still not been solved.
Ziarat is world famous for its cedar trees and is located at an altitude of 2,449 meters above sea level, 133 kilometers from Quetta.
A saint named Kharwari Baba lived at this place. That is why this place is called Ziarat. Jinnah’s bungalow Quaid-e-Azam Residency is 10 km away from Ziarat.
Jinnah’s sister Fatima has written in her book ‘My Brother’ that the decision to go on pilgrimage from Quetta was Jinnah’s own, as he had no chance to rest in Quetta due to government and non-government engagements.
He was constantly receiving invitations from various agencies and many leaders to attend meetings and address people.
However, it is not clear who told Jinnah about the pilgrimage and who advised him to go there.
Image caption Jinnah with her sister Fatima
13 to 21 July: Even after reaching Ziarat, Jinnah did not get treatment from any certified doctor, ignoring the advice of doctors.
During those days, he came to know that the famous Dr. Riaz Ali Shah had come to Ziarat to examine a patient. Fatima Jinnah told her brother that Dr. should take advantage of the opportunity that Riaz Ali Shah had come for the ziarat, but Jinnah rejected the suggestion saying that he did not have any serious illness and that if his stomach digested food properly, he would recover soon.
According to Fatima Jinnah, “He did not fully follow the doctors’ advice on what to do, what to eat, how much to eat, when to sleep and for how long to sleep etc. This old habit of his of avoiding treatment came to the fore again and again.”
However, he was soon forced to give up that old habit. Within a week of reaching the ziarat, his health deteriorated so much that for the first time in his life, his health became a matter of concern for him.
Until that time he believed that he could maintain his health as he wished, but only a week after reaching Ziarat on July 21, 1948, he accepted that health risks should not be taken and that now really good medical advice was needed.
According to Fatima Jinnah, as soon as she came to know of her brother’s intention, she sent a message to the Secretary General of the Cabinet, Chaudhry Mohammad Ali, through her private secretary Farooq Amin, that she would call the famous Lahore physician, Dr. Colonel Ilahi Bakhsh to Ziarat by air and arrange to see Bakhsh.
Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh reached Ziarat by car and from there to Quetta on July 23, 1948. Despite travelling all day, he reached Ziarat late in the evening and could meet Jinnah the next morning.
She wrote in her book:
“Even when I spoke to him about his illness, he insisted that he was absolutely healthy and would recover soon if his stomach was treated.”
After examining Zina, Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh concluded that her abdomen was fine, but the condition of her chest and lungs was not satisfactory.
As per Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh’s advice, Dr. Siddiqui, the civil surgeon of Quetta, and Dr. Mahmood, the clinical pathologist, arrived at Ziarat the next day with the necessary instruments and supplies.
They then conducted several tests of urine and their reports confirmed Dr. Ilahi’s suspicion that Zina was suffering from tuberculosis (TB).
Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh first informed Fatima Jinnah about Jinnah’s illness and then on her request he also informed the patient, i.e. Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh wrote:
“I was very impressed by the way the Quaid-i-Azam listened to me.”
Chaudhry Mohammad Hussain Chatta told Zameer Ahmed Munir in one of his interviews that when Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh told Jinnah about his illness, Jinnah told him, “Doctor, I have known this for 12 years, but I did not disclose it because Hindus will not wait for my death.”
Larry Collis and Dominique Lapierre, authors of the famous book ‘Freedom at Midnight’ about India’s freedom struggle, have rightly written that “This unusual secret was discovered and kept carefully in the safe of the office of the famous doctor J.L. Patel of Mumbai. If Mountbatten, Jawaharlal Nehru or Mahatma Gandhi had known that secret in April-1947, then perhaps the partition of Hindustan would never have happened and today the flow of Asian history would have been flowing in a different direction.
“Even the British Secret Service was unaware of this secret. This secret was in the form of an X-ray film of Jinnah’s lungs. Two large lumps the size of table tennis balls were clearly visible on the lungs. The whiteness spread on both the roofs clearly showed that TB disease had spread rapidly in the lungs of the wee one.
Due to the instructions of Dr. Jinnah, Patel never told anyone about those X-rays.
He did not tell Jinnah anything. However, he advised Jinnah to get treatment and stay healthy. He said that the only cure for this disease is rest, but where did the founder of Pakistan have time to rest? Jinnah had very little time and too much work. He could not get regular treatment. He did not even tell his dearest sister about his illness. When Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh himself came to this conclusion, he told her about the disease too. Mountbatten later told Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre in an interview that all the power was in the hands of Jinnah. He said, “If someone had told me that he was soon going to leave this world, I would not have allowed the partition of Hindustan. Hindustan could have remained intact. The only obstacle was Mr. Jinnah. The other leaders were not so stubborn. I am sure that the Congress would have made some compromise with him and Pakistan would never have come into existence.” Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh wrote, “As soon as the disease was detected, on one hand I made some changes in the treatment and diet. On the other hand, I called Dr. Riaz Ali Shah, Dr. S.S. Alam and Dr. Ghulam Mohammad from Lahore. They should immediately reach Ziarat with necessary supplies and a portable X-ray machine.”
All the doctors reached Ziarat on 30 July 1948. Phils Dilham, an experienced nurse from Quetta, was called a day earlier to treat Jinnah.
There was a possibility of starting Jinnah’s proper treatment, but one day such an incident happened, the secret of which could not be revealed till date. People who know about the incident also say that now the secret should remain a secret.
Fatima Jinnah first wrote about that incident in her book “My Brother”. She wrote that book. It was written with the help of Alana.
After her death, the documents from which her draft was found are now kept in the National Archives in Islamabad.
This draft was published in the form of a book by Quaid-e-Azam Academy, Karachi in 1987, but the paragraph written by Fatima Jinnah regarding the incident of July 30, 1948 was removed from the book.
Fatima Jinnah has written in her book, ”Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan and Chaudhary Mohammad Ali suddenly reached Ziarat one day in late July without any prior information. The Prime Minister asked Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh what was known about Jinnah’s illness. The doctor said, ”Fatima ji called and he could only give information about his patient. The Prime Minister insisted that as the Prime Minister I am concerned about the health of the Governor General, but at that time Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh had said the same, I cannot tell anyone without the permission of my patient.”
Fatima Jinnah further wrote, “I was sitting next to brother when I was told that the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Secretary wanted to meet Jinnah. When I told this to my brother, he smiled and said, “Fati, why are they here?” You know. They want to see how serious my illness is and how long I will live.”
A few minutes later, he said to his sister, “Go down. Tell the Prime Minister that I will also meet him.”
Fatima pleaded with her brother, “It is too late now. You should meet him in the morning…but whether Jinnah has said so or not, let him come now. Let him see for himself.”
Fatima Jinnah has also written in the book, “The meeting between the two lasted for half an hour. As soon as Liaquat Ali Khan came down, I went to brother. He was very tired and his face was pale. He offered me fruit juice and then called Chaudhary Ali inside. When he was alone again, I went to him and asked if he would like to drink juice or coffee? By then it was dinner time. Go down and have dinner with him.”
“I insisted that I will sit next to you and eat here. Bhai said it is not right. They are our guests there. Go and have dinner with them.”
Fatima Jinnah further wrote, “During the meal the Prime Minister was in a happy mood. He was talking and cracking jokes, while I was worried about the health of my brother who was ill upstairs. During the meal, Chaudhry Mohammad Ali was quiet, deep in thought. After finishing the meal I went upstairs to the room and Bhai smiled at me and said, “Fati, you should work.”
“I tried hard to hide the tears in my eyes.”
On 17 October 1979 an article by Sharifuddin Pirzada was published in the Pakistan Times. It was titled- Quaid-e-Azam ke Aakhri Din.
That article cited a letter from the famous jurist M.A. Rehman. In the letter Rehman said that Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh’s son Humayun Khan also told him about the incident.
According to the article, “The medicine was having a good effect on Quaid Azam and his health was improving. One day Liaquat Ali Khan went to meet Quaid Azam. He stayed with him for about an hour. Meanwhile, the time to give the medicine came. It was done, but my father could not go inside and give the medicine to Quaid-e-Azam, because a very secret meeting was going on inside.
Thai and Quaid Azam were waiting outside so that the medicine could be administered to him.”
“As soon as Liaquat Ali left the room, my father entered the room to give the medicine to Quaid-e-Azam. Quaid-e-Azam was very worried and his face was sad. He refused to take the medicine and said that I do not want to live anymore.” ..After this, despite my father’s many efforts and persuasion, Quaid-e-Azam refused to listen to the doctor.
iya.”
Humayun Khan further said, “Soon after Quaid Azam’s death, Liaquat Ali Khan called my father. Liaquat Ali Khan asked him what Quaid Azam had spoken to you that day when I came out of the ziyarat room and you went inside.”
“My father tried to emphasize to Liaquat Ali Khan that Quaid-e-Azam had not told me about whatever had happened between you two. After this he stopped taking medicine. Liaquat Ali Khan was not satisfied with my father’s answer.”
“Liaquat Ali Khan had been trying to pressurize my father for a long time. After his visit, my father was going out of the room when Liaquat Ali Khan called him back and warned him not to hear anything about the visit from anyone else. If found, my father will have to face serious consequences.”
This is a statement of Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh’s son Humayun Khan, which reached us through M. A. Rehman and Sharifuddin Pirzada.
The veracity of this statement can be debated, because Dr. Colonel Ilahi Bakhsh has written a different story about this incident in his book “Quaid-e-Azam’s Last Days”.
Dr. Ilahi’s statement regarding that incident is different.
Dr. Colonel Ilahi Bakhsh has written that “When he came down, he met the Prime Minister in the drawing room. He had come with Mr. Muhammad Ali to find out about the Quaid-e-Azam that day. He enquired very eagerly about the health of the Quaid-e-Azam and the patient. I had faith in my doctor.” Vat expressed satisfaction and said that this would have a good effect on his health.
“He was very insistent that the cause of Quaid Azam’s chronic illness should be found out. I assured him that Quaid Azam’s health is serious but he can recover if he takes the new medicine brought from Karachi.”
“The hopeful thing is that the patient’s immune system is strong. The Prime Minister was very saddened by the illness of his leader and an old friend and I am very impressed.”
The question is, which of these two statements is correct? To be honest, only five-six people know that the truth was present there at that time. Incidentally, none of them is alive today.
72 years and months of dust have settled on that incident and there is no means left to tell the country the truth of that incident.
Image caption Gaither Jinnah’s first speech in the Legislative Assembly of Pakistan on August 15, 1947
In two-three days, Jinnah’s condition improved so much that on August 3, Dr. Colonel Ilahi Bakhsh also took permission from him to visit Lahore.
The apparent reason for this was that Eid was about to come after a few days and Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh wanted to celebrate Eid with his family.
A day after reaching Lahore, he met Dr. Alam and was asked to reach Ziarat immediately with the ultraviolet equipment machine. On August 6, he reached Ziarat with the machine. Dr. Riaz Hussain Shah told him that Jinnah had become very weak in his absence and
His blood pressure had dropped, but his condition improved with injections.
The next day was Eid-ul-Fitr on August 7, 1948. Jinnah’s treatment was started the same evening, but it did not help. His legs were swollen.
On August 9, the doctors advised that Ziarat was not suitable for the patient as it was located at a great height above sea level. Therefore, he should be taken to Quetta.
Jinnah was not ready to go before August 15, as the decision to celebrate Independence Day on August 14 instead of August 15 had already been taken in June of that year. On the advice of doctors, Jinnah agreed to go to Quetta on 13 August.
Once upon a time when Jinnah was staying at Ziarat, Dr. Colonel Ilahi Bakhsh asked Fatima Jinnah, “How can you persuade your brother to tell us about his food preferences?”
Fatima Jinnah said, “He had a cook there in Mumbai. He used to cook food which Bhai used to enjoy, but after the formation of Pakistan, that cook has gone somewhere.”
She remembered that the cook was a native of Lyallpur (present Faisalabad) and it was possible to trace him from there.
On hearing this, Doctor Sahib requested the Punjab government to find the cook and send him to Ziarat immediately. Somehow the cook was found and sent immediately for Ziarat. However, Jinnah was not told anything about his arrival.
Zina was surprised to see food of her choice on the dining table and happily ate well. When Jinnah asked who cooked the food that day, his sister said that the Punjab government has sent our cook from Mumbai and he has cooked the food of your choice.
Jina asked his sister who paid for finding and sending that cook here? When told that this work was done by the Punjab government, Jinnah called for the file related to the cook and wrote on it that
“It is not the job of any one government department to provide a cook and food of the Governor General’s choice. Expenses”
Prepare a statement, so that I can pay for it.” Then the same thing happened.
When Jinnah returned to Quetta on the evening of August 13, 1948 after staying in Ziarat for a month, he told his doctors, “It is good that you brought me here. In Ziarat I felt as if I was in a cage.”
After reaching Quetta on August 16, the doctors did his X-ray and other tests. The X-ray report showed that Zeena’s health was improving. So the doctors allowed Zeena to read newspapers to keep her busy. She was also not stopped from taking decisions on some official files.
Within a few days of reaching Quetta
Jina’s health improved so much that he started working for an hour a day without feeling tired. His stomach was also working properly. Ignoring the advice of doctors, one day he made halwa-puri and enjoyed it.
After a few days, he also started smoking cigarettes as per the advice of doctors. Doctors believe that if a person is addicted to cigarettes and needs cigarettes during illness, it is a sign that his health is improving.
Then the doctors examined Jina’s health and requested him to leave Quetta now and go to Karachi, but Jina did not want to go to the Governor General’s house in a helpless state on a stretcher.
When he was asked repeatedly, he agreed to go to Karachi on one condition. The condition was that he would not stay in the Governor General’s house, but in the house of the Nawab of Bahawalpur in Maler. The Nawab of Bahawalpur was living in Britain in those days.
Jinnah was told that he had to write a letter to stay in that house, but his values prevented him from writing that letter. Despite being the Governor General of the country, he did not get formal permission from the Nawab of any state of his own country.
On August 29, 1948, Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh examined Jinnah once again.
He wrote, “After examining the Quaid-e-Azam, I have expressed the hope that he will live long to strengthen and stabilize the country the way you have brought it into existence. I did not think that he would be saddened by my thought. I will never forget those words and his disapproving style.”
Jina Dr. Ilahi Bakhshan said, “You remember, when you first came to the Ziarat, I wanted to live, but now my death is equal to living.”
Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh has written that “As soon as he said these words, tears came to his eyes. I was surprised to see a person crying who was so far from emotions and was considered as hard as iron.”
Jina was healthier than before then. So she was more surprised at Jinna’s humility. When she asked why, Jinnah said, “I have completed my work.”
Dr. Ila Bakhsh wrote, “His answer increased my confusion. I felt that he wanted to hide the truth and the reason he gave was just to avoid it. I kept thinking that his work was not done five weeks ago. And now suddenly it is over. I realized that something was needed, which ended his desire to live.”
Fatima Jinnah has also written about this incident in her book, but she has written in different words.
She has written that “In the last days of August, depression suddenly came over me. One day I looked into my eyes and said, torn, I have no interest in living anymore. The sooner I go, the better.”
“Those were ominous words. I shivered as if I had touched an electric wire. I said with patience and courage that you will recover soon. The doctors have great hopes.”
“He smiled after listening to me. There was sadness hidden in that smile. He said whether he said it or not, I do not want to live anymore.”
Jinnah wrote a letter to the then Chief of Pakistan Navy General Douglas Grassi from Ziarat on September 1, 1948, which unfortunately was the last letter he wrote.
In the letter, he wrote that “I have sent a copy of your letter to the Vice-Chairman of the Quaid-e-Azam Relief Fund and I have approved a contribution of Rs 3 lakh from that fund. This is for the development of the soldiers of the Thal project.”
That day Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh told Fatima Zeena in a desperate tone that her brother had suffered a brain haemorrhage and he would have to be taken to Karachi immediately, as the altitude of Quetta was not suitable for him. In the following days, Zina’s health continued to deteriorate. On September 5, doctors discovered that he had also developed pneumonia.
Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh wrote to Mirza Abul Hasan Asfahani, Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, to send some doctors for Zina. The name of the doctor suggested was Dr. Faiyaz Ali Shah.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh from Karachi and Dr. Mistry were also called to Quetta. However, there was no improvement in Zina’s health.
These are the days when Jinnah’s secretary Farooq Amin wanted someone to meet Jinnah and despite his repeated requests, Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh did not allow it.
Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh wrote that “the name of the person who wanted to meet him was not revealed. However, Mir Laiq Ali, the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad, wrote a chapter in his book Tragedy of Hyderabad. The chapter was titled: Death on Zina’s Bed. In that chapter he wrote that he wanted to meet Jinnah
Of course, despite repeated requests, they could not meet.”
Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh told Fatima Jinnah on 10 September 1948 that there was no possibility of Jinnah’s survival and he was now a guest of Juz days.
On 11 September 1948, Jinnah was taken to his special plane Vikings on a stretcher. When he was being taken to the plane, the staff saluted him. Everyone was surprised to see that despite such a situation, Jinnah immediately responded to the salute.
The movement of his hands showed that despite lying on the death bed, he still had a good sense of behavior.
The journey from Quetta to Karachi was completed in two hours. Meanwhile, Jinnah was looking very restless. She had to be given oxygen repeatedly. That duty was sometimes played by Fatima Jinnah and sometimes by Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh. Dr. Mistry, Nurse Delhi
M, Naval ADC. Lieutenant Mazhar Ahmad and Jinnah’s personal secretary Farooq Amin were also on board the plane.
The plane landed at Maripura airport at 4.30 pm. As per Jinnah’s orders, no high government official was included in the group that received him. No information was given to the district administration about his arrival.
At the airport, he was received by Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey, the military secretary to the Governor General. Apart from him, there was no one else.
The Governor General’s staff put him on a stretcher and took him to a military ambulance. Fatima Jinnah and Phils Dalham sat with him, while Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh, Dr. Mistry and Colonel Jeffrey rode in Jinnah’s Cadillac car.
Jinnah’s ambulance must have travelled about four miles when its engine ran out of petrol and stopped with a jerk. Therefore, the Cadillac cars, baggage trucks and other vehicles following the ambulance were also stopped.
Quaid-e-Azam was in no condition to delay the journey for even a moment without reason. The driver kept repairing the engine for 20 minutes. Finally, on Fatima Jinnah’s request, the military secretary left in his car to arrange for another ambulance. Dr. Mistry was also with him.
There was chaos in the ambulance. It was becoming difficult to breathe. What was worse than this embarrassment was that hundreds of flies were flying on Zina’s face and Zina did not have the strength to push them away.
Fatima Jinnah and Sister Dalham would make a fan out of a piece of cardboard to blow air. Every step was spent in extreme difficulty.
Colonel Nabhi and Dr. Mistry had been gone for a long time, but the engine of the military ambulance had not started, nor had any other arrangement been made.
Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh and Dr. Riaz kept checking Quaid-e-Azam’s heartbeat and it was getting slower than before. It was not possible to shift Zina from the ambulance to the car as the stretcher could not fit in the car. Jinnah did not have enough ham to sit or sleep in the car.
What is surprising in this incident is that no one from the capital tried to find out why the Quaid-e-Azam had not yet reached the Governor General’s house despite landing at the airport at 12:45. Where is his fleet? How is his health?
Some say that Jinnah’s arrival in Karachi was kept secret, but were the top government officials really unaware of Jinnah’s arrival?
Did no one know that the Governor General’s special plane had been dispatched to Quetta that morning and could reach the capital any time in the evening?
Informers say that an emergency meeting of the cabinet was held on the evening of September 4, 1948, when General Secretary Chaudhry Muhammad Ali returned to Karachi in view of the Governor General’s ill health. It is impossible that Zina’s health was not discussed in that meeting.
When Mir Laiq Ali returned to Karachi without meeting the Governor General, he informed Liaquat Ali Khan, Chaudhry Muhammad Ali and Sir Zafarullah Khan about Jinnah’s critical condition at Ghulam Muhammad’s residence. According to Mir Laiq, “Everyone was shocked.” In this background, what does the government’s negligence and indifference towards Jinnah’s arrival in Karachi indicate? This question is still a matter of concern. Shriprakash, who was India’s first High Commissioner to Pakistan, has also mentioned this incident in his book ‘Pakistan: Qayam aur Ibtidai Aaqbi’. Muhammad Ali Image Source: Getty Images He wrote, “In those days, Jamshed Mehta was in charge of the local Red Cross. Everyone in Karachi respected him. He told me that a man was very ill. I received a message in the evening asking if you could send an ambulance for him. The incident took place at 5:30 pm.” Colonel Knowles and Dr. Mistry returned with another ambulance. It can be assumed that the ambulance must be the same one mentioned by Shriprakash.
Jinnah was put on a stretcher and shifted to another ambulance and thus reached the Governor General House at 6:10 pm.
The distance of 9 miles from the airport to the Governor House should have been covered in a maximum of 20 minutes, but it took almost two hours. So two hours from Quetta to Karachi and two hours from the airport to the Governor General House.
The circumstances under which Jinnah made this arduous journey are difficult to trace in our history.
Shriprakash has written in his book that “At the time of Mr. Jinnah’s death, the French Ambassador
was having a cocktail party in a rhythmic manner. In that party, when I talked to Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan about Mr. Jinnah’s departure, he said that Mr. Jinnah was a simple-natured person and he did not like any commotion on his arrival.’
After reaching the Governor General’s house, Jinnah survived for four and a half hours and during this time she was almost unconscious.
The doctors injected energy into her. Dr. According to Ilahi Bakhsh, Jinnah regained consciousness and he told Jinnah that you will get well soon, to which Jinnah calmly replied, “No… I will not survive.”
According to Dr. Ilahi Bakhsh, those were the last words of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Dr. Riaz Ali Shah wrote that Jinnah’s last words were “Allah… Pakistan”.
On the other hand, Fatima Jinnah has written in ‘My Brother’ that “After two hours of deep sleep, Jhinna opened her eyes and called me to her with a gesture. In a last attempt to talk to me, she said with fluttering lips, “Fati”. Khuda Hafiz..La Ilaha Illallah Mohammadu Rasulullah ha.”
After this his head slowly tilted to the right and his eyes closed (courtesy BBC Gujarati, Google translation from Gujarati)
