Fatima Jinnah's tomb is inside the Mazar-e-Quaid complex in Karachi, beside her brother Muhammad Ali Jinnah. She died in Karachi on 9 July 1967 and was buried on 11 July after a public funeral, and her grave now lies in the Quaideen Grave Hall on the eastern side of the mausoleum, clad in the same Malagori marble as the Quaid's. You visit it as part of a visit to the Mazar itself.
This guide covers who she was, why her burial there was not a foregone conclusion, what you see at the grave, and the other places in Karachi linked to her life.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Where | Quaideen Grave Hall, east side of Mazar-e-Quaid, M.A. Jinnah Road, Karachi |
| Born | 31 July 1893 |
| Died | 9 July 1967, Karachi |
| Funeral | 11 July 1967, declared a public holiday |
| Title | Madar-e-Millat, "Mother of the Nation" |
| Access | Through the main Mazar-e-Quaid complex; check current status first |
Who was Fatima Jinnah?
Fatima Jinnah was the younger sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and, for most of his political life, his closest companion. She trained as a dentist at the University of Calcutta, qualifying in 1923, and set up a dental practice in Bombay the same year. When her brother's wife, Rattanbai, died in February 1929, Fatima closed the clinic and moved into his house to run the household and look after his daughter.
From then on she travelled with him, sat in on his work and became a public figure in her own right in the All-India Muslim League, especially in drawing women into the Pakistan Movement. After independence she set up the Women's Relief Committee to help refugees arriving from India, a body that later grew into the All Pakistan Women's Association. Her unfinished biography of her brother, My Brother, was published by the Quaid-i-Azam Academy in 1987, twenty years after her death.
Pakistanis know her as Madar-e-Millat, the Mother of the Nation, and she is also called Khatun-e-Pakistan.
Why is she remembered politically?
Because of the 1965 presidential election. On 2 January 1965 she stood as the candidate of the Combined Opposition Parties against President Ayub Khan, at a time when the president was chosen by an electoral college of Basic Democrats rather than by direct vote. Ayub won 49,951 votes to her 28,691, but she won majorities in the Karachi, Dhaka and Chittagong divisions and had strong support across East Pakistan and the big cities. During the campaign she was living at Mohatta Palace in Clifton, which became known as Qasr-e-Fatima and served as the centre of her campaign.
How did she die, and why was her burial disputed?
She died in Karachi on 9 July 1967. Her death quickly became the subject of rumours that it was not natural. Her nephew, Akbar Pirbhai, asked for an inquiry, but no official report was ever produced or made public, and in 1972 citizens appealed for a judicial inquiry. The question has never been officially settled, and this guide does not take a view on it.
Her place of burial was also a question at the time. She was buried next to her brother at Mazar-e-Quaid after sustained public pressure for exactly that. Shia Ithna Ashari rites were performed privately at her home, and a Sunni cleric led the public funeral prayers. The funeral on 11 July 1967 was declared a public holiday, and the procession is estimated at close to half a million people.
The mausoleum around her brother's grave was still under construction in 1967; the main building was completed in 1970. So she was buried, like Liaquat Ali Khan before her, on ground that the finished complex later enclosed. The story of how the building came together is in our history of Mazar-e-Quaid.
What do you see at the grave?
Her grave is one of five in the Quaideen Grave Hall on the eastern side of the main mausoleum, alongside Liaquat Ali Khan, Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, Nurul Amin and Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan. According to the Quaid-i-Azam Mazar Management Board, all five are clad in Malagori marble, the same marble used for the Quaid's own grave.
It is a quiet, simple place compared with the main chamber. Most visitors stop to read the names, offer fateha and move on.
How do you visit Fatima Jinnah's tomb?
There is no separate entrance. You reach the grave hall through the Mazar-e-Quaid complex, and the same entry rules, security checks and hours apply. Public access to the mausoleum has been restricted in recent years, so read our Mazar-e-Quaid timings guide and check the news before you set out.
A few practical points:
- Dress as you would for a shrine: long sleeves, and a dupatta for women.
- Keep your voice low and do not sit on the marble.
- Ask before photographing inside any of the halls.
- Allow an hour for the whole complex, more if the museum is open.
Where else in Karachi is linked to Fatima Jinnah?
Two buildings help fill in her life:
- Quaid-e-Azam House, on Shahrah-e-Faisal, where she lived with her brother and stayed on after his death, until she moved to Clifton in the 1960s. Our Quaid-e-Azam House Museum guide covers visiting.
- Mohatta Palace, Clifton, her home from the mid-1960s until her death and the base for her 1965 campaign. Sources differ on whether she moved in during 1964 or 1965. It is now a museum; see our Mohatta Palace guide.
Seen together with the grave, these three places make a compact half day on one person who shaped the early years of Pakistan.
Is it worth the visit?
If you are going to Mazar-e-Quaid anyway, yes: the grave hall takes ten minutes and is one of the most direct links you can have with the generation that founded the country. It is not a separate outing, and you should not plan a trip only for it while access to the complex is uncertain. For more heritage ideas in the city, see our experiences page.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Fatima Jinnah buried?
At Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi, next to her brother Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in the Quaideen Grave Hall on the eastern side of the mausoleum.
When did Fatima Jinnah die?
On 9 July 1967 in Karachi. Her funeral was held on 11 July 1967, which was declared a public holiday.
Why is Fatima Jinnah called Madar-e-Millat?
The title means "Mother of the Nation". It reflects her role beside her brother in the Pakistan Movement and her work for women and refugees after 1947.
Can you visit Fatima Jinnah's tomb?
Only as part of a visit to the Mazar-e-Quaid complex, which has had restricted public access in recent years. Check the current position before you go.
Did Fatima Jinnah live at Mohatta Palace?
Yes. She lived there from the mid-1960s until her death in 1967, and it was the centre of her 1965 presidential campaign.
