Correspondence Regarding the Transfer of M.A. Jinnah's Furniture from Bombay to Karachi

Sub title : Logistical Arrangements and Packing Estimates

Subject: Personal Relocation Logistics | Furniture and Belongings Transfer | Packing and Shipping Estimates

Date of publication: 1947

Language: English

Page: 4p.

Source: National Archives of Pakistan

Serial no: 27920

Keyword: M.A. Jinnah -- Furniture Transfer -- Bombay to Karachi | Relocation Logistics -- Packing Estimates -- October 1947 | Mahomed Ali Chawla -- Personal Belongings -- Partition Move

Abstract: A series of letters from solicitor Mahomed Ali Chawla to Muhammad Ali Jinnah concerning the practical arrangements for packing and shipping his furniture and belongings from his bungalow in Bombay to Karachi in October 1947. The correspondence details consultations with packers (Mr. Gulembusein and Ebrahim Jaffer), comparative cost estimates for crating versus boxing the furniture (ranging from Rs. 4,000 to Rs. 12,864), inquiries about the shipment of a large collection of books (including old law editions), and questions regarding a pig safe in a secret room and the discharge of domestic staff (bamalas). The letters highlight the meticulous and costly logistics involved in Jinnah's personal relocation to Pakistan's new capital.

Description: This set of letters provides a rare, ground-level view of the personal and administrative realities faced by Muhammad Ali Jinnah during the tumultuous Partition period. While engaged in high-stakes state-building, these documents reveal the simultaneous need to manage the mundane yet complex task of moving his household. The detailed discussions about packing methods, cost-saving measures, and the handling of personal items like books and a safe underscore the practical challenges of relocation. This correspondence adds a deeply human dimension to the historical narrative, illustrating how the founder of Pakistan navigated both the monumental and the mundane in the critical month of October 1947. SCANNED BY: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF PAKISTAN.

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