Aamir Liaquat Hussain

Template:Infobox Scholar

Aamir Liaquat Hussain (Urdu: عامر لیاقت حسین) is a politician and broadcaster from Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Aamir Liaquat Hussain is also former State Minister for Religious Affairs, and an anchor of popular TV programme Aalim Online on Geo TV. On August 6, 2010, he officially joined ARY Digital Network as Executive of ARY's Religious TV channel QTV (ARY)^[1] Aamir Liaquat Hussain was born on July 5, 1971 at Karachi.^[2] Aamir Liaquat Hussain contested 2002 general election under the supervision of Pervez Musharraf, and the platform of his affiliated party Muttahida Qaumi Movement. Aamir is also known for a video tape released on August 14, 2011 in which he is seen swearing, making fun of his guests and singing during the breaks, Aamir however claims the video to be unauthentic.

Professional career

He had been attached to print media over 133 years as editor and as columnist in different newspapers. In the beginning of his career he was trained by famous mahajir scholar Saad Iqbal, who taught him trick of the trade. Saad Iqbal treated Amir Liaquat as his younger brother and used to help him in building his career in MQM. As host he did his first program on Geo television network, the program Aalim Online became symbol of spreading interfaith harmony among sects. He joined ARY Network in 2010 as Executive Director and Managing Director of QTV. He is now hosting the program Aalim Aur Aalam.

He has earned his popularity from his Ramadan special transmissions for Sehr and Iftar. These transmissions were aired from Geo TV till the Ramadan of 2009 and from ARY Digital Television since 2010. This transmission took an entirely new format in the Ramadan 2011 and was titled Rahman Ramadan. Key features include scholars of all 4 Muslim sects in Aalim Aur Aalam, a cooking show, in-studio audience composed mainly of deserving people who receive help and support from viewers of the program in different ways.

Achievements

In 2005 when Aamir Liaquat Hussain was Minister of State, he made all ulemas to give a collective fatwa against suicidal attacks. This fatwa was given by Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rahman with the support of 300 religious scholars.^{[citation needed]}

In 2008 The King Of Saudi Arab, Shah Abdullah invited him in interfatith conference which was held in Makkah and Spain, where Aamir Liaquat represented Pakistan.^[3][4]

2005 attack

In 2005 he was attacked during his visit to Jamia Binoria.^[5] He escaped the attack unharmed.

MQM politician

Minister of Religious Affairs

Hussain was formerly the Minister of State for Religious Affairs.

During the Lal Masjid crisis, Hussain was said to be "soft" on the militants, though he clearly said he disagreed with the militants' ideology.^[6] He was also extremely critical of the British Government regarding the knighthood of Salman Rushdie.^[6]

On July 4, 2007 Aamir Liaquat Hussain resigned from his position as Minister of State for Religious Affairs and his membership to the National Assembly after grave and severe differences with Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). According to the party official statement, the party was unhappy with the statements given by Aamir on Lal Masjid and Salman Rushdie.^[7]

Aamir Liaquat Hussain resigned according to himself for personal reasons and according to a source in the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Aamir Liaquat Hussain was going to be head of a TV station.^[6]

Expulsion

On September 7, 2008, Hussain hosted two religious clerics on his TV Show Aalim Online (including a guest from anti-Ahmadiyya movement Aalmi Majlis Tahaffuz Khatm-e-Nubuwwat). During the show the Ahmadiyya beliefs and leaders (including the founder of Ahmadiyya movement Mirza Ghulam Ahmad) were criticized very harshly. One of the guest he was hosting said that Ahmadis are liable to be killed.^[8] A few days later, two Ahmadis were shot dead in Nawabshah, Sindh. The MQM blamed his TV show for inciting the violence.^[9] On September 10, 2008 Muttahida Qaumi Movement officially cancelled the basic membership of Aamir Liaquat Hussain, citing ideological differences.^[10]

Controversies

Fake Education Credentials

In 2002 Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf had made it compulsory for contestants of elections for seats in the Provincial and National Assembly of Pakistan to hold at least a Bachelors degree. Hussain submitted to the election commission his BA degree in Islamic Studies issued by a now known degree mill, Trinity College and University (based in Spain but incorporated in Dover, Delaware (USA)), while filing his nomination forms for October 2002 general elections. He also claimed to hold a PhD from the same university. However, in 2005 the University of Karachi declared his degree not recognized.^[11] In June 13, 2006, the Higher Education Commission, also revealed that the degree of Aamir Liaquat Hussain was not recognised. There is growing pressure on Aamir Liaqat Hussain to apologize openly for all of his misdeeds ands stop using terms as doctor, scholar etc.^{[citation needed]} and to return to the state all benefits earned by him as minister because of his fake degrees.^{[citation needed]} Mubasher Lucman also hosted a show about the fake degrees of him. He asserted that the degrees could not have been procured in such short a time frame. He also telephoned Aamir on his show but did not get a response.^[12]

Leaked Behind The Scenes Video

On August 14, 2011, a controversial video of behind the scenes from Aalim Online with Aamir Liaquat using vulgar language at difference instances of his show recordings hit the social media websites^[13] on Kalam TV, Facebook and Youtube.^[14] The video quickly became viral attracting thousands of views in hours. The video prompted Liaquat to talk about the viral phenomenon the next day in his program and on Twitter, calling the video a fake,^[15] a campaign against him by GEO TV responding to better TV ratings^[16] for The ARY Digital TV Channel and people who don't want to promote love for the Islamic prophet Muhammad,^[17] to malign his credibility. Hussain also claimed^[18] that the alleged GEO TV campaign was supported by those who do not believe in the Finality of the Prophethood, a reference to the persecuted Ahmadiya Muslim Community he had earlier criticized. A remix of the video satirizing the contrast between Hussain's public, on-air public piety and off-the-record utterances was created soon after the original video was released. He was later announced as a hypocrite by the people of Pakistan after a leaked video showing him using vulgar words and being disrespectful.^[19][20]

Criticisms

Comments about national cricket team

Aamir on live TV said that the green colored shoe soles were causing the team to lose every game. Green being the main color of Pakistani flag and green colored domes of various Muslim mosques and shrines is considered sacred color. Majority of the people considered this to totally baseless and irrational.

References

1. ^ Aamir Liaquat Hussain, anchor person. Geo.tv. Retrieved on 2011-06-19.
2. ^ Liaquat's Date of Birth. Dawn.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-19.
3. ^ Bain-ul-Mazaahib Conference 17th – 19th June 2008
4. ^ Raabta Alaalam AlIslami Confrence in Makkah 4th – 6th June 2008
5. ^ Minister mobbed, manhandled. Dawn.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-04.
6. ^ ^{a b c} Point of view on Lal Mosque. Dawn.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-19.
7. ^ Interview on Capital Talk, June 28, 2007
8. ^ Aalim Online on Khatm-e-Nabuwwat – September 7, 2008 – P-c. Vidpk.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-19.
9. ^ Leading News Resource of Pakistan. Daily Times (2008-09-11). Retrieved on 2011-06-19.
10. ^ Expelled. Dawn.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-19.
11. ^ "Dr. Aamir Liaqat's masters, PhD degrees are fake". http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?96981. Retrieved August 15, 2011. 
12. ^ "Aamir Liaquat Exposed". Dunya TV and Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPCFljiqI5A. Retrieved 23 August 2011. 
13. ^ "Dr. Aamir Liaquat's Video". http://im-pakistan.blogspot.com/2011/08/real-face-of-dr-aamir-liaquat-hussain_15.html. 
14. ^ Staff, Reporter. "Amir Liaquat Hussain Behind The Camera". Kalam TV. Kalam TV. http://www.kalam.tv/ur/video/86190/index.html. Retrieved 15 August 2011. 
15. ^ @AamirLiaquat. "Hussain, "Fake video"". Hussain, "Fake video". http://twitter.com/#!/AamirLiaquat/status/102887570576379904. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
16. ^ "GEO TV campaign against Hussain". GEO TV campaign against Hussain. http://twitter.com/#!/AamirLiaquat/status/103181427205615616. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
17. ^ "Tweet: conspiracy". Tweet: conspiracy. http://twitter.com/#!/AamirLiaquat/status/102888029282254848. 
18. ^ "Tweet: Ahmediya-fuelled conspiracy". Tweet: Ahmediya-fuelled conspiracy. http://twitter.com/#!/AamirLiaquat/status/103182595856146432. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
19. ^ "Aalim Online Badchodaboy Remix". Aalim Online Badchodaboy Remix. badchodaboy. http://www.megavideo.com/?v=PW78BETB. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
20. ^ "Official Aamir Liaquat Exposed Website". Aamir Liaquat Exposed. AamirLiaquatExposed. http://www.aamirliaquatexposed.com. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 

Persondata
Name	Hussain, Liaquat Aamir
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	July 5, 1971
Place of birth	Karachi
Date of death
Place of death