India on Thursday strongly rejected Pakistan’s claim of ownership of the Jinnah House in Mumbai and said the property belongs to it.
“Pakistan has no locus standi as far as this property is concerned. It is a government of India’s property and we are in the process of renovating it,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
The Jinnah House on Malabar Hill in Mumbai was designed by architect Claude Batley in European style and Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah lived there in the late 1930s. Pakistan has been demanding that the property be handed over to it for housing its Mumbai consulate.
Mr. Kumar said the government is considering putting the Jinnah House into use on the lines of the Hyderabad House here.
The property would be used to host government events, the MEA announced on Thursday.
(With inputs from Kallol Bhattacherjee)
