Altaf Hussain

Infobox Person
name = Altaf Hussain
Unicode|الطاف حسین


image_size = 233×303px
caption =
birth_date = 17 September1953
birth_place =
death_date =
death_place =
education = Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm)
occupation =
spouse = Faiza Altaf (divorced)
parents = Nazeer Hussain,Khursheed Begum
children = Afzaa Altaf

Altaf Hussain ( _ur. الطاف حسین"'), is the leader and founder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) of Pakistan. He was born on September 17, 1953 in Karachi. 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 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.

Political ideologies and reputation

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.He also credits himself as the biggest ever crimnal don and murderer of Pakistan.He also credits himself as the biggest ever crimnal don and murderer of Pakistan.He also said that after forming the MQM,with the help of ISI,he was running a initial gang of 5000 crimnals for various illegal purposes which include selling of banned drugs and smuggled weapons.He also says that his party collects "Battha" (forced money)from all over Karachi so as to ensure smooth running of his party. Their ideology is to seek the rights of Mohajirs.cite web
url=http://www.mqm.org/manifesto/manifesto-1998-details.htm
title=DETAILS OF MANIFESTO
publisher=MQM
accessdate=2007-07-09
format=HTML] 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. [ [http://www.mqmusa.com/Units/Central/orthodx.pdf MQM Wants to Rid Pakistan of Archaic Political Oligarchies] ] 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. [ [http://www.mqmusa.com/Units/Central/ADDRESS_WITH_PUNJAB_OFFICE_BEARERS.pdf MQM Does not Believe in Elitism] ] .In Practical, However Mr.Altaf Hussain always supported fuedals including Jam Sadiq, Beneazir Bhutto, Arbab Ghulam Rahim and now Asif Ali Zardari they are all belong to feudals and spported by MQM. MQM also supported General Pervez Musharraf.

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. [ [http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/canada/story.html?id=c045bc85-f122-423e-bcad-8cc6f2f20031 Canadian Court Denies Application of Asylum of a Member of MQM] ] 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, Punjab, in addition to having solid political presence in the second largest province, Sindh, for the past two decades. [ [http://jang.net/jm/8-14-2007/pic.asp?picname=1742.gifMQM Denies that any Canadian Court has Determined that MQM is involved in Terrorism] ]

It is alleged that while Hussain was a cab driver in Chicago, United States,cite web
url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/05/14/wpak14.xml
title=Running Karachi - from London
publisher=The Telegraph
accessdate=2007-05-15
format=HTML] he was recruited by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan military intelligence) in the United States to form MQM as a counter against
Pakistan Peoples Partycite web
url=http://www.dawn.com/weekly/ayaz/20041112.htm
title=A love-hate relationship
first=Ayaz
last=Amir
publisher=The Dawn
accessdate=2004-11-12
format=HTML] cite web
url=http://www.onwar.com/aced/data/sierra/sindhisunrest1980s.htm
title=Wars of the World
publisher=Wars Online
accessdate=2007-07-09
format=HTML] and the Jamaat-e-Islami. cite web
url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FF03Df04.html
title=Troubled Karachi held to ransom
publisher=Asia Times
accessdate=2004-06-03
format=HTML]

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." During the conference he expressed his desire to the Indian media that partition should be annuled and Pakistan should be merged with India. Video recordings of his speech are available on the internet.cite web
url=http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00004327&channel=civic%20center
title=Altaf Hussain in India
accessdate=2007-06-15
format=HTML]

Altaf Hussain is labelled by his opponents in Pakistan as an Indian agent.cite web
url=http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/95/0728/nat3.html
title=SPEAKING OUT IN ANGER
publisher=www.asiaweek.com
accessdate=2007-07-09
format=HTML] . He has dismissed this charge by saying, "it is a Pakistani tradition to call oppositionists Indian agents."

British citizenship

There is controversy over why Mr. Hussain was allowed British citizenship by Tony Blair's Labour government even though the Conservatives under John Major refused him the same.cite web
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] . 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".

Allegations of violence against rivals

An operation was launched by the Pakistan Army in June 19, 1992. 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 nine other MQM members were sentenced to death. cite web| publisher=BBC| title=Hakeem Saeed Sentence | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/361178.stm]

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 [ [http://www.dawn.com/2007/08/14/local2.htm Basis for Operation Against MQM] ]

On February 6, 1998 the Sindh High Court found all defendants innocent and found the case as one "of almost no legal evidence". [ [http://www.dawn.com/2007/08/14/local2.htm Sindh High Court Finds all MQM Leaders and Workers Innocent] ] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/s/w_asia/54241.stm Sindh High Court Finds Altaf Hussain Innocent] ]

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. [ [http://www.dawn.com/2007/08/14/local2.htm Supreme Court Dismisses the Case] ]

He has also been accused of directly ordering the bombing of 11 April 2006 Nishtar Park 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. [ [http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1024024 Sunni Tehrik Turn Violent] ] MQM Altaf Group is again widely believed to be involved in that terrorist bombing which killed several ulema and other workers.

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)." [ [http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:8-68g9nHYiUJ:se1.isn.ch/serviceengine/FileContent%3FserviceID%3DPublishingHouse%26fileid%3DB05D4303-FF37-F6A0-C2E7-A931F1715E85%26lng%3Den+karachi+mqm+90+vs.+70&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=16&gl=us#16 International Crisis Group interview, Karachi-based journalist Shoaib Hasan, December 2006] ]

May 12, 2007 Karachi riots

The MQM has been accused of instigating violence in Karachi on May 12, 2007 that led to the death of at least 42 people.cite web | url=http://thenews.jang.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=7814 | title=Karachi death toll rises to 42 | accessdate=2007-05-13 | publisher=Daily Times Pakistan] 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. cite web| publisher=BBC| title=Chief justice responsible | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6649089.stm | accessdate=2007-07-28]

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.cite web | url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C05%5C13%5Cstory_13-5-2007_pg7_41 | title=Journalists protest attack on Aaj TV | accessdate=2007-05-13 | publisher=Daily Times Pakistan]

MQM chief’s wife begins legal action to divorce him

The lawyer of MQM Chief Altaf Hussain’s wife Faiza Gabol said Friday night that there is separation between his client and her husband and this separation had happened two years ago.

According to the lawyer, Faiza said this action from her has its basis in Altaf’s ""insulting" and "callous" attitude towards her, over the past six years. cite web | url=http://www.geo.tv/geonews/details.asp?id=11821&param=1 | title=MQM chief’s wife begins legal action to divorce him | publisher=GEO Tv] She also alleged that after marriage she was virtually made a prisoner.She alleged that the main goal for Altaf Hussain at the time of the marriage was to acquire UK citizenship.Once that was achieved his attitude started changing, leading to separation and now filing of the divorce.cite web | url=http://iaoj.wordpress.com/2007/09/22/today-news/ | title=Separation from MQM chief Altaf Hussain] >

ee also

* Muttahida Qaumi Movement
* 2007 Karachi riots

References

External links

* [http://www.mqm.org/ MQM official website]
* [http://www.kkfonline.org/ KHIDMAT-E-KHALQ FOUNDATION (KKF)]
* [http://www.apmso.com/ APMSO official website]
* [http://www.gahwaraheadab.com/ Gahwara-e-Adab website]
* [http://www.dailyamn.com/ DAILY AMN official website]
* [http://www.msrclub.com/ Muttahida sports&recreation club website]
* [http://www.ummat.com.pk/Report.ummat.com.pk/03062007-Misc_Reports/ReportNabiJanAnsari-03062007.html Ummat News Article regarding Imran Khan's case on Altaf Hussain]
* [http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C06%5C03%5Cstory_3-6-2006_pg12_4 Daily Times]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CqiyXm5afc Imran Khan's comments on Altaf Hussain] , "Video - YouTube"
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=nvx88nH5x7Q Documentary by Aaj TV about Karachi Riots - Part 1 of 3]
* [http://www.insaf.org.pk/ Tehrik-e-Insaf Pakistan]