By Yasser Latif Hamdani
The late Z H Zaidi, who edited the Jinnah Papers, had edited an earlier volume a few decades ago, which was called Jinnah-Ispahani Correspondence. This volume contains the correspondence between Mohammad Ali Jinnah and M A H Ispahani, spanning over a decade. In Pakistan, we are so disconnected from our history that nine out of 10 Pakistanis are not likely to know who M A H Ispahani was and why the founding father of this country was corresponding with him. I do not wish to give my readers a history lesson, therefore suffice it to say, Ispahani was Jinnah’s foremost lieutenant in Calcutta. He was one of the biggest financiers of the Muslim League and the moving spirit behind many key steps, such as the Muslim Chamber of Commerce and the Orient Airways, which later became PIA, which Jinnah and the League initiated to improve the lot of Muslims in British India. After Pakistan was created, Isphahani served as Pakistan’s first ambassador in Washington and did so with distinction.
The late Z H Zaidi, who edited the Jinnah Papers, had edited an earlier volume a few decades ago, which was called Jinnah-Ispahani Correspondence. This volume contains the correspondence between Mohammad Ali Jinnah and M A H Ispahani, spanning over a decade. In Pakistan, we are so disconnected from our history that nine out of 10 Pakistanis are not likely to know who M A H Ispahani was and why the founding father of this country was corresponding with him. I do not wish to give my readers a history lesson, therefore suffice it to say, Ispahani was Jinnah’s foremost lieutenant in Calcutta. He was one of the biggest financiers of the Muslim League and the moving spirit behind many key steps, such as the Muslim Chamber of Commerce and the Orient Airways, which later became PIA, which Jinnah and the League initiated to improve the lot of Muslims in British India. After Pakistan was created, Isphahani served as Pakistan’s first ambassador in Washington and did so with distinction.
