Princess Esra welcomes London court's ruling granting ownership of PS35mn fund to India over Pak

Princess Esra on Wednesday welcomed a London court ruling granting ownership of a £35-million fund to the Nizam of Hyderabad and Indian government over Pakistan in a 70-year-old dispute.

"HEH VIII Nizam Mukarram Jah Bahadur, his younger brother Muffakham Jah, and Indian Government has won a 71 years old legal battle in London" princess Esra was quoted as saying by Faiz Khan, a member of the Nizam's Charitable Trust.

"We welcome the judgment in favour of us at the Royal Court of London. A detailed report from the court will be delivered in November. We will wait for the report and proceed further," Khan told .

"Thankfully, the Hyderabadis will be really glad now that the decision has come in favour of the Nizams. Indeed, it's a great decision and it took quite a long time. I am sure this will conclude the battle now," he added.

The funds were deposited into the London bank account of the then Pakistan High Commissioner Habib Ibrahim Rahimtoola by Nawab Moin Nawaz Jung, the finance minister and External affairs minister under the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, in 1948.

This money transfer resulted in a long-standing legal battle between the heirs of the Nizam and Pakistan.

"There was something which was not rightly done by one person which the Nizam immediately withdrew. One person officially and wrongly went ahead with action. When the Nizam got to know about it he took a step forward and took action in that regard," Khan said.

The Nizam's descendants, Prince Mukarram Jah -- the titular eighth Nizam of Hyderabad -- and his younger brother Muffakham Jah, had joined hands with the Indian government in the legal battle against the Pakistan government over around 35 million pounds lying with National Westminster Bank in London.

In his judgment handed down today, Justice Marcus Smith ruled that the "Nizam VII was beneficially entitled to the fund and those claiming in right of Nizam VII -- the Princes and India -- are entitled to have the sum paid out to their order".

Najaf Ali Khan, the grandson of the Nizam, said, "We welcome the judgment of Justice Marcus Smith. The High Court has rightly rejected Pakistan's claim in favour of India, and the descendants of H.E.H The Nizam VII of Hyderabad. The family has long awaited this judgement."

In 2013, Pakistan commenced fresh proceedings, thereby waiving state immunity. A subsequent attempt by Pakistan to discontinue the proceedings was rejected as an abuse of process by the UK Court.

( With inputs from ANI )