Pak shows no interest in buying Jinnah’s house

The London house of Pakistan’s founder leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah is up for sale and a real estate dealer raised its stakes by warning ...

The London house of Pakistan’s founder leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah is up for sale and a real estate dealer raised its stakes by warning Pakistani government that India planned to acquire it for its prime location.

Jinnah’s former residence near a royal palace in London has been put up for sale but the government of Pakistan has expressed inability to buy it while Indians were keen to acquire it, London-based property dealer Khalid Hasan said.

‘‘We will give preference to the government of Pakistan or a Pakistani for the deal, which may be as cheap as £1.5 million,’’ he was quoted as saying by the Pakistani daily The News today. He said the seller has approached Pakistan government to buy the house in which Jinnah lived between February 1893 to July 1896, before he moved to India.

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He said the house at 35 Russell Road, Kensington, London owned by an American of Pakistan origin was located close to Kensington Palace, which prompted the Indians to evince keen interest.

‘‘The Indians are keen to buy as they want to develop the property at one of the most important place, frequented by thousands of people,’’ Hasan said. Hasan said the Pakistan government was not keen to buy it saying that it did not find it feasible because of local by-laws.

‘‘It is our setback that neither the Pakistani government nor Pakistani community has come forward to purchase it. Therefore, the owner has put the Quaid’s monument for sale in open market and is in the process of negotiation with an interested party, a non-Pakistani,’’ he said.