Thirteen months after he created a country, its founder was flown home to die. And on the last road journey of his life, the ambulance carrying him broke down in the heat, while ordinary traffic passed by without knowing who was lying inside. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Quaid-e-Azam, which means the Great Leader, had built Pakistan in August 1947. By September 1948, the state was 13 months old, and its founder had only hours left. This is episode 2 of our History of Pakistan series, the last moments of Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Almost Nobody Knew How Ill He Was
Almost nobody knew how ill he was. Through the 1940s, Jinnah suffered from tuberculosis, a serious lung disease. Only his sister Fatima Jinnah and a small close circle knew the full picture. Fatima was his closest companion. She stayed beside him to the end. Everyone else saw a leader who never slowed down.
On 1 July 1948, he travelled to Karachi and inaugurated the State Bank of Pakistan, the new state's central bank. It was his last major public appearance. Fatima Jinnah later said he had not felt well since that trip. Yet he kept working, as if time itself was the enemy.
Taken to Ziarat to Recover
On 6 July, he went back to Quetta to recover. His doctors soon moved him higher, to the Residency at Ziarat. Ziarat is a cool hill town. It is known for its ancient juniper forests.
There, tests showed tuberculosis and advanced lung cancer. He was treated, including with streptomycin, then a new medicine for tuberculosis. But he kept declining.
And Ziarat itself became a problem. It sits above 8,000 feet. At that altitude, his doctors judged the thin air unsuitable for a man with failing lungs.
On 13 August, the day before Pakistan's first independence anniversary, he was brought down to Quetta. A hopeful statement was issued in his name for 14 August. By reported accounts, he now weighed only about 36 kilograms.
The Final Collapse in September
September brought the final collapse. Fatima Jinnah's account records a haemorrhage on 1 September. By 9 September, he had also developed pneumonia. His doctors now insisted on an immediate return to Karachi, where better care was possible.
There was one obstacle. Jinnah disliked being seen on a stretcher. He feared what it would do to the morale of his young nation. His personal physician, Colonel Ilahi Bakhsh, later suggested that Jinnah finally agreed to go because he sensed the end was near.
On 11 September 1948, the founder of Pakistan left Quetta for the last time.
The Last Flight and the Broken Ambulance
He was flown to Karachi that day. He landed at Mauripur air base in the afternoon. Fatima Jinnah, his medical staff and a nurse travelled with him.
An ambulance set out for the Governor General's House, the residence of Pakistan's head of state. But after only a few miles, the ambulance developed an engine defect and stopped by the roadside.
Because Jinnah could not sit up, he could not simply be moved into the waiting car. So the founder of Pakistan lay there in Karachi's heat for about 1 hour, while a replacement ambulance was sent for. It was more than 2 hours after landing before he finally reached the Governor General's House.
He rested. Then he deteriorated again in the evening. Muhammad Ali Jinnah died that night, at 10:20 pm on 11 September 1948, aged 71, with Fatima beside him.
A Million People Say Goodbye
Pakistan buried its founder the next day, 12 September. Contemporary estimates put the funeral gathering at around 1 million people. The funeral prayers were led by Allama Shabbir Ahmad Usmani. There was official mourning in Pakistan, and in India too.
Khawaja Nazimuddin succeeded him as Governor General. Jinnah was buried in a simple grave in Karachi.
The great white marble mausoleum that stands there today, Mazar-e-Quaid, came much later. Construction began in 1960 and it was completed in 1971.
He had given his whole remaining strength to a country that was barely a year old. And the country came out, a million strong, to say goodbye.
Next in this series: History of Pakistan, episode 3, who killed Liaquat Ali Khan?
Watch the video: Last Moments of Muhammad Ali Jinnah | History of Pakistan #2 on YouTube. This article is the full written version of the video, in simple English. See all articles on the Blogs page and more videos in the History Series.