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===British Citizenship===
===British Citizenship===
⚫
[[Respect – The Unity Coalition|Respect]] MP [[George Galloway]], who knowingly made false or misleading statements under oath before US Senate on May 17, 2005, and knowingly made false or misleading statements under oath before a British Court<ref>[http://hsgac.senate.gov/_files/PSIREPORTGallowayOct05FINAL.pdf false or misleading statements under oath by George Galloway]</ref>, has described Mr. Hussain, in the [[House of Commons]], as "the
There is controversy over why Mr. Hussain was allowed British citizenship by [[Tony_Blair|Tony Blair's]] [[Labour_Party_%28UK%29|Labour]] government even though the [[Conservative_Party_%28UK%29|Conservatives]] under [[John_Major|John Major]] refused him the same.<ref name="Citizenship_Controversy">{{cite web
godfather of Sindh—he is the godfather of Karachi—and he is living high on the hog from the extortion of the citizens of Karachi" and has asked "why he was given citizenship, and why he is being allowed to operate with impunity". <ref name="Citizenship_Controversy" />
| url=http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070611/debtext/70611-0021.htm

| title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 11 Jun 2007 (pt 0021)
| publisher=www.publications.parliament.uk
| accessdate=2007-06-11
| format=HTML
⚫
}}</ref>. [[Respect – The Unity Coalition|Respect]] MP [[George Galloway]] has described him in the [[House of Commons]] as "the godfather of Sindh—he is the godfather of Karachi—and he is living high on the hog from the extortion of the citizens of Karachi" and has asked "why he was given citizenship, and why he is being allowed to operate with impunity". <ref name="Citizenship_Controversy" /> MP [[George Galloway]] who knowingly made false or misleading statements under oath before US Senate on May 17, 2005, and knowingly made false or misleading statements under oath before a British Court.<ref>[http://hsgac.senate.gov/_files/PSIREPORTGallowayOct05FINAL.pdf false or misleading statements under oath by George Galloway]</ref>


===Allegations of Violence against Rivals===
===Allegations of Violence against Rivals===

Revision as of 05:13, 9 September 2007

This article is about the founder and leader of MQM. For the journalist, see Altaf Husain.
Altaf Hussain
الطاف حسین
Born17 September1953
Karachi,Pakistan
EducationBachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm)
SpouseFaiza Altaf
ChildrenAfzaa Altaf
Parent(s)Nazeer Hussain,Khursheed Begum

Altaf Hussain (Urdu: الطاف حسین) is the leader and founder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). He was born on September 17, 1953 in Karachi. Karachi is the largest city, port, original capital and cultural, economical, philantropic, educational, and political hub of Pakistan. Mr. Hussain's father, Mr. Nazir Hussain, and mother, Mrs. Khursheed Begum, both belonged to a religious family of Agra, India. The city is world famous for Taj Mahal. According to the biographical information available from MQM's website, Altaf Hussain's grandfather was the city Mufti of Agra, and a well known scholar of Islam. Mrs. Khursheed Begum's father Hafiz Rahim Baksh was also well respected in the religious and scholarly circles in the world-famous city.

In early 1970s the large family of Mr. Nazir Hussain moved into a modest house constructed on a 120 square yard (1,080 square feet) lot. The house was later dedicated to MQM's political and welfare activities, and became known as Nine Zero. Nine Zero is MQM's Pakistani Headquarters.

Primary to Intermediate Education: Altaf Hussain received primary education (grade 1-5) from Dehlji Bhai Allah Rakkha School located in the Jahangir Road neighborhood. He completed his secondary education (grade 6-10) from Government Boys Secondary School located in the Jail Road neighboorhood. He completed 11th grade from National College, Karachi and the 12th grade from City College, Karachi where he received his Intermediate Diploma in Science.

National Cadet Scheme Service: When the Armed Forces of Pakistan started a National Cadet Scheme Service in 1971, Mr. Hussain joined the Service and started participating in it with his heart and mind. However, Altaf Hussain recounted that repeated discriminatory comments, such as, "You Hindustora (ethnic slur), what sort of war will you city-dwellers fight? Who took you into the army in the first place?" [1] caused him to contemplate the ground realities for Muhajirs in Pakistan. He completed his one-year training with 57th Baloch Regiment, and started focusing on his college studies, once again.

Higher Education: Altaf Hussain completed his Bacholors of Science (Pre-Medical) degree from Islamia College, Karachi in 1974. He started his Bachlors of Pharmacy studies at Karachi University and completed his B.Pharmacy degree in 1979. Although he received admission in KU's Master Pharmacy program, his organization, All Pakistan Muhajir Students OrganizationAPMSO, started expanding with leaps and bounds, and previously established student organization Islamic Jamiat e Talba made it very difficult for him to continue his studies. So he dropped out from the Masters of Pharmacy program and started focusing on APMSO. [2]

Excerpts From AsiaWeek Magazine (July 28, 1995 Issue)

Here are excerpts from an AsiaWeek interview with Altaf Hussain during Benazir Bhutto's second term (July 18, 1993 - November 3, 1996) as Prime Minister of Pakistan. Her government was dismissed by President Farooq Leghari and the Supreme Court upheld President Leghari's actions by an overwhelming 6-1 ruling. [3]

AsiaWeek asked if it was true that he was receiving India or other foreign countries.

Mr. Hussain replied that it has been a Pakistani political tradition to call opposition leaders as Indian agents, and that Benazir should know that very well because her own father was called an Indian agent by his opponents. He claimed that his party has consistently won elections from the constituencies they contested from, and that is based on genuine public support, and not from the support of foreign governments.

AsiaWeek asked about Ms. Bhutto's government's allegations about Altaf Hussain's alleged masterminding of murders, killings, kidnappings?

Mr. Hussain called such allegation, "another Pakistani tradition." He continued, "The government always lays criminal charges against its opponents to silence them. Has Benazir forgotten that her own father was charged with murder? Has Benazir forgotten that her husband, her brother, her party members have all faced criminal charges, and some are still facing criminal charges of kidnappings, arson, looting, sedition and treason?" He claimed that nobody in Pakistan takes these charges seriously, and that they were baseless and Benazir knew that.

Political ideologies and reputation

Altaf Hussain credits himself as the first in Pakistan who introduced a new trend in the political culture by giving a non-feudal based political philosophy. Their ideology is to seek the rights of all the citizens of Pakistan along with the rights of the Mohajirs.[4] The government of Pakistan is now its ally in the current government setup in Sindh. Therefore, he claims that vehement opposition to MQM which he created in 1984, is due to fact that he wants to rid Pakistan from the rule of few to the rule of the people.[5] Mr. Hussain claims that MQM has no prejudice between poor and privileged, and that every worker of the party bears and carries that same respect.[6]

Controversies

Canadian courts deported a member of Altaf's party. An Article in National Post alleges that the denial was due to MQM's involvement in terrorist activities.[7] However, MQM has denied any such announcement by any Canadian court, and termed it as "propaganda" due to MQM's speedy inroads in the largest Pakistani province of Punjab, in addition to having solid political presence in the second largest province of Sindh for the past two decades. [8]

It is alleged that while Altaf Hussain was a cab driver in Chicago, United States,[9] he was recruited by the Pakistan Military Intelligence, ISI in the United States to form MQM as a counter against Pakistan Peoples Party[10] [11] and the Jamaat-e-Islami. [12]

At a conference in India in May 2005, he said, "Perhaps the idea of Pakistan was dead at its inception, when the majority of Muslims chose to stay back after partition, a truism reiterated in the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. If you need further evidence look at the plight of 300,000 Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh for three decades in their passage to the chosen land. Unwanted by both Bangladesh and Pakistan, led by an unknown destiny." [13]

Altaf Hussain is labelled by his opponents in Pakistan as an Indian agent.[14]. He has dismissed this charge by saying, "it is a Pakistani tradition to call oppositionists Indian agents."[14]

British Citizenship

Respect MP George Galloway, who knowingly made false or misleading statements under oath before US Senate on May 17, 2005, and knowingly made false or misleading statements under oath before a British Court[15], has described Mr. Hussain, in the House of Commons, as "the godfather of Sindh—he is the godfather of Karachi—and he is living high on the hog from the extortion of the citizens of Karachi" and has asked "why he was given citizenship, and why he is being allowed to operate with impunity". [16]


Allegations of Violence against Rivals

An operation was launched by the Pakistan Army in June 19, 1992. Altaf Hussain, had already fled to London 6 months prior to the operation, where he is currently under a self-imposed exile. Warrants were later issued for Altaf Hussain in a case related to the murder of Sindh governor, Hakeem Muhammed Saeed, in which 9 other MQM members were sentenced to death.[17] On May 31, 2001 Sindh High Court acquitted all accused. "The defence counsel in appeals had argued for the acquittal because the prosecution had failed to prove any evidence, whether they pertained to confessional statement, witnesses' account, ballistic expert's report and evidence about the recovery of empties and finger-prints. On confessional statements the defence had argued that signatures were obtained first on blank paper while contents of the confession were written afterwards and therefore, they were fabricated evidence."[18]

Mr. Hussain has also been accused of being involved in the kidnapping and torture of a Pakistan Army, Major in 1991. Major Kaleem case was the bedrock of many governmental and military operations against MQM [19]

On February 6, 1998 the Sindh High Court found all defendents innocent and found the case as one "of almost no legal evidence". [20] [21]

On Monday, August 13, 2007, Major Kaleem case was dismissed by a three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi, Hamid Ali Mirza and Ghulam Rabbani. [22]

He has also been accused of being involved in the 11 April 2006 Nishtar Park bombing of a Eid Milad-un-Nabi gathering. The main leaders of Sunni Tehrik Maulana Abbas Qadri, Maulana Iftikhar Bhatti and Maulana Akram Qadri, Hafiz Mohammad Taqi of Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, Chief of Tehrik Awam Ahl-i-Sunnat Haji Hanif Blue and Anjuman Tulaba-i-Islam central Secretary-General Pir Bux Piral were among the dead. The Sunni Tehrik is considered to be the only Barelvi outfit that departed from the sect’s predominantly moderate posture and eventually became militant like most Deobandi and Ahle Hadith groups. [23]

According to Asia Times, "The growth of anti-Shi'ite organizations forced Iran to revamp its operations, and instead of being obsessed with the TNFJ (Movement to Implement Jafriah Jurisprudence), Iranian intelligence invested in anti-Salafi Sunni organizations such as Sunni Tehrik. Sunni Tehrik activists were trained in Iran and then launched into Pakistan, where they only took on jihadi outfits. However, the timely intervention of the state machinery largely marginalized the Sunni Tehrik in Pakistan." [24]

At the funerals of the four top Sunni Tehrik leaders, slogans were chanted against the MQM and its chief Altaf Hussein. While denying the allegations, the MQM blames the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and "religious extremists" for the incident.[25] The intelligence agencies investigating the butchery have strong suspicions that the blast was carried out by the pro-Taliban Sipah-e-Sahaba’s (SSP) militant wing — Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) because the Sunni Tehrik is opposed to the Taliban school of thought, still being nurtured by the two outfits whose leaders still idealise Osama bin Laden. The SSP and the LeJ leaders are Deobandis while those of the Sunni Tehrik are Beralvis.[26]

After the attack on the Barelvi religious gathering in Karachi in April 2006, which wiped out the senior Sunni Tehrik leadership, the city’s political landscape has changed radically. In the words of a long-time observer of Karachi politics: "Nishtar Park effectively destroyed the Sunni Tehreek as a party and has thus done two things. It has cleared away the main obstacle to the domination of the Deobandi parties in Karachi, and it has set the stage for a confrontation between them and the MQM for the first time. So the status quo has definitely changed and may change even more if the Deobandis encroach on the territory of the Muttahida (Qaumi Movement)."[27]

Altaf Hussain family members killed by state

It is alleged that his brother Nasir Hussain and nephew Arif Hussain were brutally tortured whilst in the custody of the State and extra-judicially executed on 9 December 1995, after three days of torture. Their dead bodies were found in Gadap, a remote area of Karachi. According to Altaf Hussain, they were not affiliated with MQM. It is alleged that other relatives of Altaf Hussain also faced arrests and harassment from various law enforcement agencies.[28] [29]

May 12, 2007 Karachi Riots

Main article: 2007 Karachi riots

Political parties in Pakistan are armed, and bullyism is the order of the day.[30] For example, on August 17, 2007, Awami National Party's (ANP) workers were found with ammunition during their "peaceful" rally. When the police recovered arms and ammunition from five individuals in a taxi cab, which was part of the rally, ANP workers and supporters blocked two major highways, burnt tires and pelted stones on vehicles which were jamed in the trafic. Air shots were fired on National Highway and Super Highway, and one car was set ablaze in Sharafi Goth. One hospital-bound man died due to the traffic jam,[31] which was exasperated by ANP-supporting transport mafia.[32]

ANP is headquartered in Peshawar, the capitol of North West Frontier Province (NWFP)[33], where Russian-made, authentic Kalashnikovs could be had for about $250, and where generations-old gun dealers take solace in the fact that in Pakistan, “There’s no stable government, it changes every two years, and they can’t even control Karachi.”[34] NWFP is considered the center of the Gun culture in Pakistan. Darra Adam Khel, near the provincial capitol, Peshawar, was historically known for manufacturing the Lee Enfield .303. However, the town now produces guns, such as, AK-47, the mini-Kalashnikov, and hand-held firearms, including the James Bond pen gun. A network of manufacturers, middlemen, brokers and transporters can deliver illegally manufactured weapons at cheap rates anywhere in Pakistan. [35]

The MQM has been accused of instigating violence in Karachi on May 12, 2007 that led to the death of at least 42 people.[36] The violence broke out after MQM held a rally against what it called ‘political jugglery in the name of independence of judiciary’. The MQM denied the claims, though its leader indirectly blamed the former justice.[37]

The violence intensified just before the suspended Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry flew into Karachi to address the Sindh High Court Bar Association. He was, however, forced to leave for Islamabad after waiting at the airport for several hours. This was due to the banishment order for his panel of lawyers from the Sindh government.

Lawyers, political parties and media organisations from across the country protested over the involvement of MQM workers in the attack of Aaj TV.[38]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Rise of MQM in Pakistan: Politics of Ethnic Mobilization" by Farhat Haq
  2. ^ Altaf Hussain Biography from MQM USA
  3. ^ Pakistan Supreme Court Upholds Benazir Bhutto's Dismissal on the basis of Corruption and Extra-Judicial Killings of MQM Workers and Supporters
  4. ^ "DETAILS OF MANIFESTO" (HTML). MQM. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
  5. ^ MQM Wants to Rid Pakistan of Archaic Political Oligarchies
  6. ^ MQM Does not Believe in Elitism
  7. ^ Canadian Court Denies Application of Asylum of a Member of MQM
  8. ^ MQM Denies that any Canadian Court has Determined that MQM is involved in Terrorism
  9. ^ "Running Karachi - from London" (HTML). The Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-05-15.
  10. ^ Amir, Ayaz. "A love-hate relationship" (HTML). The Dawn. Retrieved 2004-11-12.
  11. ^ "Wars of the World" (HTML). Wars Online. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
  12. ^ "Troubled Karachi held to ransom" (HTML). Asia Times. Retrieved 2004-06-03.
  13. ^ "Altaf Hussain in India" (HTML). Retrieved 2007-06-15.
  14. ^ a b "SPEAKING OUT IN ANGER" (HTML). www.asiaweek.com. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
  15. ^ false or misleading statements under oath by George Galloway
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference Citizenship_Controversy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ "Hakeem Saeed Sentence". BBC.
  18. ^ [ http://web.archive.org/web/20010621211223/www.dawn.com/2001/06/01/top6.htm All Nine MQM Workers Acquitted by Sindh High Court]
  19. ^ Basis for Operation Against MQM
  20. ^ Sindh High Court Finds all MQM Leaders and Workers Innocent
  21. ^ Sindh High Court Finds Altaf Hussain Innocent
  22. ^ Supreme Court Dismisses the Case
  23. ^ Sunni Tehrik Turn Violent
  24. ^ Iran Invests in Sunni Tehrik
  25. ^ "Again clueless" (HTML). PakTribune. Retrieved 2006-04-21.
  26. ^ Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Behind the Sunni Tehrik Killings
  27. ^ International Crisis Group interview, Karachi-based journalist Shoaib Hasan, December 2006
  28. ^ "DAWN WIRE SERVICE" (HTML). Dawn. Retrieved 2007-08-1. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  29. ^ "RELATIVES OF MR ALTAF HUSSAIN, ARRESTED BY THE CIA" (HTML). MQM. Retrieved 2007-08-1. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  30. ^ Pakistani Political Parties Carry Guns in Their "Peaceful" Rallies
  31. ^ ANP Cries Foul when Caught with Ammunition in its "Peaceful" Rally
  32. ^ Karachi and the Impunity of its Mafias
  33. ^ Defiant ANP Asserts Inofficial "PukhtoonKhwa" Instead of Official Name NWFP
  34. ^ Kalashnikov Culture
  35. ^ Gun are Manufactured in NWFP and Distributed All Over Pakistan
  36. ^ "Karachi death toll rises to 42". Daily Times Pakistan. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
  37. ^ "Chief justice responsible". BBC. Retrieved 2007-07-28.
  38. ^ "Journalists protest attack on Aaj TV". Daily Times Pakistan. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
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