Book Review: With the Quaid-i-Azam During His Last Days by Lt.Colonel Ilahi Bakhsh, MD

This monograph is a first-hand account of the last days of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Written by a medical doctor, this book sheds light on the last two months of Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s Life. This book is an outcome of the entries in the author’s personal diary.

The first edition of this book was published in 1949. With the Quaid-i-Azam during his last days is divided into three chapters. This includes his time at Ziarat, Quetta and Karachi. This book review here is for the 2011 edition published by Oxford University Press Karachi. The preface to the third edition of the book written by M. Nasir Ilahi specifies that the author was required to delete certain passages from the book as they were considered to be politically inappropriate and sensitive.

Jinnah was at Ziarat, later he was moves to Quetta so that the altitude does not affect his already fragile health. Afterwards he was moved to Karachi. When Quaid was being shifted from Quetta to Karachi an incident happened. After landing at Mauripur Aerodrome Quaid was put into an ambulance. From Aerodrome to Governor General’s house the distance was 9 to 10 miles. Ambulance had stopped working after about 4 miles due to some engine trouble. Another ambulance was arranged. At 6:10 A.M, almost two hours after landing at Mauripur Aerodorme Quaid reached his destination.

Earlier at Quetta the author had refused a person willing to meet Quaid. Mr. Amin stressed on Dr. Ilahi that a specific person was willing meet Quaid-i-Azam on urgent basis. The author asked his name from Mr Amin, but Mr Amin said he could not disclose it. Later in Karachi the author had found the identity of the visitor, after Quaid-i-Azam’s death. The author also does not disclose the name of the visitor in this book and leaves the reader perplexed.