Pakistan has re-asserted its claim on the "Jinnah House" saying that it will not forfeit its claim to the mansion as per a Pakistan Foreign Office statement on Thursday. Rebutting Pakistan's claim on Mumbai's "Jinnah House", India has categorically stated that the mansion is the property of the government of India.
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"Pakistan is not in the picture anywhere. They have no locus standi as far as this property is concerned. It is a property belonging to the Government of India and we are actually in the process of renovating with the intention of putting it to an effective use along the lines of what we had done with the Hyderabad House in New Delhi", Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told the media during a briefing on Thursday.
Jinnah House, situated in India's financial capital of Mumbai, was originally owned by the founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah. It was also the subject of a protracted legal battle between Jinnah's daughter Dina Wadia and the government of India. Dina Wadia, who died last year, had filed a petition in 2007 in Bombay High Court to regain control of the mansion. A protected heritage structure, it is situated opposite the Maharashtra Chief Minister's official residence in Mumbai. It was built in 1936.
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Jinnah House is of historical significance as Indian leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Muhammad Ali Jinnah often used this mansion for meetings before the partition of India and Pakistan. After India's independence, the Jinnah House was used by the British High Commissioner until 1982. Pakistan wanted to set up its Mumbai consulate in the Jinnah House, but India refused to give it to Pakistan.