Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah honored in Istanbul on his 150th birthday

An exhibition titled "The Founding Memory of a Nation," organized jointly by the Pakistan Embassy and Albayrak Group, opened at the Rami Library in Istanbul on Tuesday, June 16, marking the 150th birthday of Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Pakistan's Ambassador to Ankara, Yusuf Junayd, and Istanbul Deputy Governor Mehmet Sülün were among those who attended the opening ceremony, which centered on themes of law, representation, and independence. The exhibition will remain open to visitors until June 23.

A Ceremony Built Around Principles

Speaking at the opening, Ambassador Yusuf Junayd drew attention to the values Jinnah stood for throughout his life. "As we commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, we reaffirm our commitment to the principles he championed: constitutionalism, justice, tolerance, dignity, democratic participation, and service to humanity. The greatest tribute we can offer Jinnah is not merely to remember him, but to understand him; not simply to praise him, but to keep alive the principles he defended," he said.

Associate Professor Davut Şahbaz also spoke at the ceremony, noting the deeper historical connection between Jinnah and the Turkish national cause. "This historic struggle carries a much deeper and more intimate meaning for the Turkish heart. He always looked upon the unity of the Islamic world, the center of the caliphate and the legacy of the Ottoman ancestors with a protective and respectful eye. Jinnah was among the most prominent intellectual supporters of the Khilafat Movement launched by Indian Muslims during the difficult years following World War I," he said.

A Bond Rooted in Shared History

The exhibition also served as a reminder of the longstanding friendship between Türkiye and Pakistan. Istanbul Deputy Governor Mehmet Sülün spoke to that bond directly: "A nation's existence means building a shared memory, a shared ideal, and a shared sense of belonging. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah achieved exactly that in Pakistan. He turned the dream of an independent state into reality and entrusted the Pakistani people with the principles of unity, justice and the rule of law. The spirit of common struggle and brotherhood between Türkiye and Pakistan has made us feel like one nation in two states."

One of the more telling moments in that shared history came on March 4, 1948, when Türkiye's first ambassador to Pakistan, the poet and diplomat Yahya Kemal Beyatlı, personally presented his credentials to Jinnah himself. Holding this commemoration at the Rami Library, a space dedicated to culture and literature, adds a certain resonance to that memory.

A Lawyer Who Built a Country

Jinnah, known by the title Quaid-e-Azam, meaning "Great Leader," trained as a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in London. Throughout his political career, he placed his faith in legal order over popular slogans and in the legitimacy of representation over the anger of crowds. When he concluded that the only real guarantee of fair representation for a people was a homeland of their own, he pursued that goal relentlessly. The effort was formalized with the Lahore Resolution of 1940 and culminated in the founding of Pakistan on August 14, 1947. As the country's first Governor-General, Jinnah defined the new state's purpose as establishing a legal order that would protect life, property, faith and freedom.

What the Exhibition Covers

The exhibition traces Jinnah's life and Pakistan's founding through photographs from the era. It takes visitors from his early family portraits and youth, through the Round Table Conference in London and the 1940 Lahore Session, to the historic transfer of power on August 14, 1947, the first address to the Constituent Assembly, the first cabinet of the young state and the opening of the State Bank.

The Founding Memory of a Nation exhibition is free to visit and will be on display at the Rami Library through June 23.