EACH year in August or December someone claims to be the grandchild or greatgrandchild of the Quaid. Last year it was Aslam Jinnah and he was duly feted and rewarded by the PM after being invited to the National Assembly and publicly thanked.

This year it is Khurshidbai who has claimed to be Jinnah's granddaughter. Her photograph appeared in a section of the press on Aug 9. I really wonder if anyone does any verification or check or homework or is everything on an ad hoc basis in our country.

I set the record straight last year insofar as Aslam Jinnah was concerned. I have still not had the benefit of meeting this gentleman but I did state that he probably is the great-grandson of Jinnah's paternal uncle Nathoo Poonja. The greatgrandson of Jinnah's other paternal uncle Walji Poonja is Amir Ali Gangjee Walji, who lives in Karachi and whose father Hussain G Walji had filed a suit against Shirinbai for the administration of the estate of Fatima Jinnah and won the case in appeal before the High Court. However, the heirs or descendants of Nathoo Poonja never joined the proceedings to establish their ancestry and claim like the Walji Poonja family did.

It is quite likely that Khurshidbai is also a part of the Nathoo Poonja family. Does this make her Jinnah's granddaughter? Who knows how the government will react this time around.

I know for a fact that Jinnah's only child Dina Wadia lives in New York and Bombay and she has two children, one of whom is a son (Nusli Wadia) and is wellknown. He recently visited Pakistan with Dina Wadia. Not much is known about her daughter.

Now where does Khurshidbai fit in as a granddaughter of Jinnah's. We would all be enlightened. Being the greatgranddaughter of Nathoo Poonja is not quite the same as being Jinnah's greatgranddaughter.

The other members of the Jinnah family being his sister's grandchildren in Pakistan are Kulsoom, Zehra (deceased), Gulshan, Husseni and myself while my two sisters Rohina and Moonira, who were also in Pakistan, are at present in the US and the UK. The other grandchildren of Jinnah's sisters are in India.

Legal proceedings are going on in India before the Bombay High Court in relation to Jinnah House and all the grandchildren of Jinnah's sisters Rehmatbai and Mariambai have been cited as defendants or respondents by reason of relationship with Jinnah and Fatima Jinnah. Whether they inherit anything or not is entirely a different matter as a decision on this issue falls within the domain of the Bombay High Court.

I trust this letter will set the record straight once again and that too well before Aug 14 and Dec 25.

LIAQUAT H. MERCHANT
Karachi