Two Mumbai-based Parsi doctors who treated Muhammad Ali Jinnah and kept his tuberculosis diagnosis confidential have been nominated posthumously for Pakistan’s highest civilian honour, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz.
Physician Dr Jal Ratanji Patel and radiologist Dr Jal Dhaybho-Koo are set to receive the award at a ceremony scheduled for March 2027, according to Pakistan Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, who heads the country’s Awards Committee.
Iqbal announced the nominations on X, describing the two doctors as having “faithfully guarded the secret” of Jinnah’s terminal illness at a crucial moment in the history of the subcontinent.
Patel and Dhaybho-Koo examined Jinnah’s X-ray in 1946 and diagnosed him with an advanced stage of tuberculosis, according to the account in Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre’s Freedom at Midnight.
The doctors reportedly concluded that Jinnah had only a year or two to live. Despite the seriousness of the diagnosis, they maintained professional confidentiality and did not disclose his condition publicly.
Iqbal said their conduct amounted to a “quiet but extraordinary service”, adding that their adherence to professional confidentiality had a significant bearing on the circumstances surrounding the creation of Pakistan.
The two doctors were members of Mumbai’s Parsi community and had treated Jinnah before Partition.
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Why Jinnah’s illness mattered
The secrecy surrounding Jinnah’s health has long been discussed in accounts of the events leading up to Partition.
According to Freedom at Midnight, Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, later indicated that greater knowledge of Jinnah’s deteriorating health could have influenced his decisions on the timing of the transfer of power.
Iqbal cited Mountbatten as saying that had he known how seriously ill Jinnah was, he might have delayed independence by several months, potentially changing the course of events that led to Pakistan’s creation.
Historians have also written that Jinnah had suffered from tuberculosis for years, but his illness was known only to a small circle, including his sister Fatima Jinnah and the two doctors.
In announcing the nominations, Iqbal said the doctors’ “absolute professional confidentiality” at a critical juncture deserved recognition.
The Nishan-e-Imtiaz is among Pakistan’s highest civilian awards and is conferred on individuals for distinguished contributions in various fields.
The posthumous honour for Patel and Dhaybho-Koo comes nearly eight decades after they examined Jinnah’s medical condition, highlighting the continuing historical significance attached to the secrecy surrounding his health during the years immediately preceding Partition.
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