Exhibition on Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s legacy opens in Istanbul

ISTANBUL: An exhibition marking the 150th birth anniversary of Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, opened in Istanbul on Tuesday, bringing together diplomats, officials, academics and invited guests at the Rami Library.

Titled The Founding Memory of a Nation, the exhibition has been arranged by Pakistan’s Embassy in Ankara in collaboration with Türkiye’s Albayrak Group. According to the organisers, it will remain open to the public free of charge until June 23.

The opening ceremony was attended by Pakistan’s Ambassador to Türkiye Yusuf Junaid, Istanbul Deputy Governor Mehmet Sulun, local officials, academics and other guests. Addressing the event, Junaid said Jinnah’s ideas and style of leadership remained relevant beyond Pakistan.

He said Jinnah’s politics were rooted in constitutionalism and legal principles, and described his approach as one centred on justice and representation rather than political theatrics.

Speaking at the ceremony, Junaid said Pakistan’s founder sought a political arrangement based on justice and mutual respect, adding that his call for Pakistan was not driven by hostility toward others but by the belief that peace, dignity and stability required a just political order.

Referring to Jinnah’s final years during the independence struggle, the ambassador said he continued his efforts despite serious illness.

Jinnah's vision and leadership principles contain enduring lessons not only for Pakistan but for the entire modern world,

Junaid also said Jinnah remained steadfast in the face of physical weakness in his last years.

Although physically weakened, his determination never wavered,

Istanbul Deputy Governor Mehmet Sulun said Jinnah turned the aspiration for an independent state into a reality and left behind values of unity, justice and the rule of law for Pakistan. He also referred to the historical ties between the two countries.

The shared spirit of struggle and brotherhood between Türkiye and Pakistan has made us ‘one nation, two states’,

Academic Davut Sahbaz, who has authored a book on Pakistan’s history, said Jinnah occupies a distinct place in Turkish historical memory as well because of his support for Muslim causes during the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

The exhibition includes historical photographs tracing Jinnah’s life from his early years and legal education in London to the Lahore Resolution of 1940 and the creation of Pakistan in 1947. A documentary on Jinnah’s life and the founding of Pakistan was also screened during the event.