KARACHI: Fatima Jinnah, also know as madar-e-millat or the mother of the nation, was the younger sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. But you already knew that. What you probably didn’t know is that she was also Pakistan’s first female presidential candidate contesting against a military dictator and the country’s second president Ayub Khan. There is little written and said about her other than the fact that she supported her brother’s mission and vision and decided to take on the powerful of the country he founded after his death.
She was born 125 years ago on July 31, 1893, in Karachi. This is her life in numbers.
1902
was the year she joined Bandra Convent to acquire early education
26
was her age when she enrolled into the University of Calcutta
1929
was the year she relocated to her brother’s house after his second wife Rattanbai ‘Ruttie’ Jinnah passed away
1938
was the year she became convener of Muslim League Women’s Sub-Committee, which remained active under her leadership till the creation of Pakistan
1960s
was the decade during which she returned to the forefront of politics in the country and decided to run for the presidency
250,000
was the approximate number of people who showed up to see her and hear her speak in Dhaka and a million lined the 293 mile route from there to Chittagong
22
was the number of hours her train, called the ‘Freedom Special’, was delayed because of the crowd that had gathered to welcome her
1967
was the year she died in Karachi
1987
was the year her unfinished biography My Brother was published by the Quaid-i-Azam Academy
