Lodha had written to Swaraj on October 5 requesting that Jinnah House should be made a cultural centre. Pakistan had demanded in recent years that the property should be handed over to it for housing its Mumbai consulate.

The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016, which amends the Enemy Property Act, 1968, was passed by a voice vote in the Lok Sabha on March 14, incorporating the amendments made by the Rajya Sabha.
The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016, which amends the Enemy Property Act, 1968, was passed by a voice vote in the Lok Sabha on March 14, incorporating the amendments made by the Rajya Sabha. © Reuters

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said that her ministry is in the process of getting Jinnah House, the sea-facing Mumbai bungalow of Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, transferred in its name.

In a letter to city BJP legislator Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Swaraj also said that her ministry will refurbish the bungalow on the lines of Hyderabad House in Delhi.

Lodha had written to Swaraj on October 5 requesting that Jinnah House should be made a cultural centre.

“Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has instructed us to renovate and refurbish Jinnah House to develop it on the pattern of facilities available in Hyderabad House in Delhi. Accordingly, approval of the PMO was sought for transfer of the property from ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) to our ministry. PMO has now accorded necessary approvals,” Swaraj said in her letter to Lodha.

The letter, dated December 5, further stated, “We are in the process of transferring the ownership in our name.”

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