July 9 marks the death anniversary of Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, and as the masses recall her struggle and the services she rendered for the country, they are also reminded of how she was declared a traitor by the powers that be.
Even after the passage of so many years, anyone who raises their voice against the state and authoritative forces is labeled a traitor or is deemed to be working against the interests of the country.
Let us look at the circumstances in which Fatima Jinnah was given this label, how she was pushed against the wall and was ultimately forced to confine herself in her own home.
Fatima Jinnah had bravely resisted the self proclaimed rule of Field Marshal Ayub Khan. She was seen by the masses as Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's natural successor following his demise in 1948. General Ayub is believed to have manipulated the system to malign the stateswoman and involve her into controversies. The anti-democracy forces used negative tactics, to the extent of tampering the 1965 presidential election results to defeat her.
Their efforts were aimed at suppressing her voice, so much so that they stopped her speech from broadcasting on Quaid-e-Azam's death anniversary. Ayub Khan went on to declare Fatima Jinnah a foreign agent , despite the fact that it was him who himself established the Pak-US bond.
The sagacious stateswoman, politician, a dental surgeon by profession was a close adviser to her brother and a co-founder of Pakistan Women's Association, which played an important role in the settlement of the migrant women at that time.
Fatima Jinnah breathed her last on in Karachi on 9 July 1967 due to a heart failure. Her demise is also a subject of controversy as it is shrouded in mystery, with some reports claiming she died of unnatural causes.
Even after the passage of so many years, anyone who raises their voice against the state and authoritative forces is labeled a traitor or is deemed to be working against the interests of the country.
Let us look at the circumstances in which Fatima Jinnah was given this label, how she was pushed against the wall and was ultimately forced to confine herself in her own home.
Fatima Jinnah had bravely resisted the self proclaimed rule of Field Marshal Ayub Khan. She was seen by the masses as Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's natural successor following his demise in 1948. General Ayub is believed to have manipulated the system to malign the stateswoman and involve her into controversies. The anti-democracy forces used negative tactics, to the extent of tampering the 1965 presidential election results to defeat her.
Their efforts were aimed at suppressing her voice, so much so that they stopped her speech from broadcasting on Quaid-e-Azam's death anniversary. Ayub Khan went on to declare Fatima Jinnah a foreign agent , despite the fact that it was him who himself established the Pak-US bond.
The sagacious stateswoman, politician, a dental surgeon by profession was a close adviser to her brother and a co-founder of Pakistan Women's Association, which played an important role in the settlement of the migrant women at that time.
Fatima Jinnah breathed her last on in Karachi on 9 July 1967 due to a heart failure. Her demise is also a subject of controversy as it is shrouded in mystery, with some reports claiming she died of unnatural causes.