The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has announced that Indian Government will acquire the Jinnah House in Mumbai and convert it into an international cultural centre to hold meetings and international delegations.

The Jinnah House on Malabar Hill in Mumbai was designed by architect Claude Batley in European style and Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah lived there in the late 1930s.

The sprawling palatial structure spread across 2.5 acre at Malabar Hill in South Mumbai was built by Mohammed Ali Jinnah in 1936 at a cost of Rs 2 lakh. Pakistan has been demanding that the property be handed over to it for housing its Mumbai consulate.

India strongly rejected Pakistan's claim of ownership of the Jinnah House in Mumbai and said the property belongs to it.

"It is a government of India's property and we are in the process of renovating it," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.