Why Jinnah was buying Air India’s shares in March 1947

New Delhi: While the political temperature has been very high after the highly controversial book of now expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh on founder of Pakistan MA Jinnah has published, a valid question can be asked now whether Jinnah was really sure that his creation would remain intact in future also. Certainly not…
Imagine the undisputed leader of Muslim League, which was fighting for separate Muslim state, was buying the shares of Air India Ltd in the month of March, 1947. Almost five months before India was divided on the basis of religion
That it is a well-known fact that by March 1947, both the Congress and the Muslim League were agreed that India would be partitioned. In the light of this fact, how can one explain Jinnah writing to his share brokers and estate agents that very month buying 500 shares in Air India Ltd. And showing keen interest in the purchase of "Sandow Castle", described as "a large property near Bombay with 18 acres of land and with an unrestricted view of the sea".
Jinnah, a Khoja Muslim from Gujarat, was very money minded person and not at all frugal as his community is known for.
Historian Zafar Iqbal, who has researched Jinnah extensively in his stint as an IAS officer in Mumbai, says that there was nothing wrong for him to buy shares of Air India or any other company in normal times.
“ I was really surprised and rather baffled that he was buying shares of the then blue chip company like Air India Ltd.It was really unexplainable what prompted him to buy shares when it was sure that he would have leave India for Pakistan within couple of months,” Zafar Iqbal said.
22/08/09 Vivek Shukla/MyNews.in

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Categories: NACIL Aug 2009