Fatima Jinnah, was not only Quaid’s sister but remained his close aide, and companion, in all the parameters of life. She not only stood beside him shoulder to shoulder on the political fronts but proved to be his strongest support element out of all the seven brothers and sister, in his personal life too. Born in 1893, she lived with her brother for about 28 years, and in those years, she remained passionately attached to her brother, specially in the last tiring 19 years. Jinnah used to seek her advice on special matters whenever he met her. She served her brother diligently, in the last days of his illness.
When the All India Muslim League was being organized, Miss Fatima Jinnah was taken on as a member of the Working Committee of the Bombay Provincial Muslim League, and worked in that capacity until 1947. In March 1940, she attended the Lahore session of the Muslim League. Fatima was convinced that the Hindus intended to subjugate and dominate the Muslims completely.
While Jinnah was busy on other fronts in the creation of Pakistan, Miss Jinnah was ardent in enlightening the women of her community. Her endeavors united Muslim women and motivated them to become a part of this struggle of homeland.
It was due to her efforts, that the All India Muslim Women Students Federation was organized in February 1941 at Delhi.
Even after the partition, she continued to spark a motivation for women of the new country. She formed the Women’s Relief Committee, which later formed the nucleus for the All Pakistan Women’s Association. She also played a significant role in the settlement of refugees in the new state of Pakistan.
As resilient as her brother, soon after his death she was unfortunately stormed by political conspiracies. Since she was looked up on as the ray of guidance, after Jinnah, certain figures wanted to restrict her movement in the political set up of the country. She was twice barred from addressing her nation on Quaid’s anniversary.
Despite all the efforts to bow her down, she continued to work for her nation till her last breath. On special occasion, Miss Jinnah used to remind her nation, about the values and principles, which were the basis of this country, through her speech on Radio Pakistan.
She also wrote a book on Mr.Jinnah’s life, titled, ‘My Brother’, which was later published by Quaid-i-Azam Academy in 1987.
She died in Karachi on July 8, 1967, but the lady is still revered as the Madar-e-Millat in the hearts of her nation.