KARACHI, March 26: Dina Wadia visited here on Friday the mausoleum of her father, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and laid floral wreath. She was accompanied by her son and grandchildren.
"This has been very sad and wonderful for me. May his dream for Pakistan come true," wrote Dina Wadia in the visitors' book, reflecting the emotional experience she had gone through during the 50-minute stay at the mausoleum.
She also went to the mazar of Madar-i-Millat Fatima Jinnah to pay respects to her aunt. She never visited Pakistan in her father's lifetime. Her first visit was at the time of the Quaid's death.
She had been at the place, where she laid the wreath on Friday, 56 years ago when hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis paid their last respects to the Father of the Nation. She had watched them all in gloom.
The renewed cricketing relations between Pakistan and India provided her the opportunity not only to watch the final ODI in Lahore but also to go through a tremendous emotional experience.
Perhaps owing to such sensitivities she had asked the visit to be kept absolutely private and personnel of print and electronic media were not allowed to enter the premises of the mausoleum. Officials said it was done in deference to her desire.
As she arrived there amid tight security, buglers paid their respect. Attired in cream shirt and black trouser, Dina Wadia was accompanied by her son Nusli Wadia and grandsons Jehangir and Ness.
After laying the wreath she also visited the place where personal belongings of the Quaid are on display. She expressed special interest in three pictures and requested for their blow- ups.
In one picture, Dina Wadia is seen with her parents, whereas the second picture is that of her mother. The picture she liked the most was one in which Quaid-i-Azam was seen giving dictation to someone, said a source at the mausoleum.
Dina Wadia had come to the mausoleum directly from the airport. Nusli Wadia paying homage to his grandfather wrote in the visitors' book: "My dream to come here has been fulfilled. I will come back to see his dream come true."
The great grandsons of the Quaid, Jehangir and Ness, were also quite excited. They expressed their sentiments in the visitors' book: "It is an honour to be in Pakistan. Thank you for everything."
Dina Wadia and other members of her entourage, who were given an official protocol, also visited the Flagstaff House and the Quaid's birthplace, Wazir Mansion.
