Altaf Hussain – A Charismatic Leader‏

Who could have thought that a boy from the deprived class will challenge the might of the privileged class and will fight for plight of lower and middle class and in doing that he sacrificed his health and comfort for the nation. People use to argue – Why he wear dark glasses, I am sure it was just to cover the dark circles he got working late nights for his people when everybody was asleep, which is why he always wears sunglasses despite all his untiring efforts and struggle over the years, he is still passionate about his people and their cause. He presents himself as an ordinary man, almost without character traits of his own. This enables one to project one’s own notion of simplicity onto the leader. His charisma seems to grow with every image of hope, power, suffering and justice his followers invest in him. Heartthrob of millions all over the world.

Altaf Hussain was born on the 17th of September, 1953 in Karachi and completed his matriculation from Government Boys Degree School at Jail Road and Intermediate (science) from City College, Karachi. After that he went on to complete BSc. from Islamia College, Karachi in 1974 apart from completing his Bachelors in Pharmacy (B. Pharm) from 1979 from Karachi University.

Altaf Hussain belongs to a middle class family and in order to support his family he started to work as a trainee at Karachi’s famous, Seventh Day Adventist Hospital apart from working for a national and multinational pharmaceutical firm but later moved to live with his brother to the United States where he stayed for a period of one and a half year.

During the university days he formed what was then called All Pakistan Mohajir Student’s Federation (APMSO) on the 11th of June 1976.Altaf Hussain as Chairman of A.P.M.S.O worked tirelessly for the rights of local students studying at Karachi University. When the things went out of hand in Karachi University and the security treats increased; Altaf Hussain and his fellow student were forced to leave educational institutes in Karachi, he went on to form Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) on the 18th of March, 1984 which later turned into Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in 1997 which happens to be Pakistan’s fourth largest political party.

Altaf Hussain during his earlier life as a student joined the National Service Cadet Scheme as a volunteer in 1970-1971 and later joined the Baloch Regiment of Pakistan Army and was trained by army in both Sindh and Baluchistan. Altaf Hussain had been imprisoned thrice and the first time he was arrested was when he protested for the Repatriation of Pakistanis from Former East Pakistan (Bangladesh) on the 14th of August, 1979 at Quaid-e-Azam’s Mausoleum. He was sentenced by the then Martial Law Government of dictator, General Zia Ul Haq for a period of nine years vagarious imprisonment and five lashes which he completed but the lashing was stopped by Sindh High Court. The second time, he was arrested was at the Gath Phatak interior Sindh on his way from Hyderabad to Karachi after the historic convention of MQM at Hyderabad on the 31st of October, 1986.

And finally his third arrest was a voluntary one, on the 30th of August 1987 out of disgust against the police brutalities and to stop the police raiding and torturing MQM’s workers and treating their relatively indecently.A lot of false cases were registered against him during his long political struggle and one of most hilarious yet disgusting was that Altaf Hussain stole a police man’s cap and it was only after the MQM’s unprecedented victory during the local council elections in Karachi and Urban Sindh that he was finally offered a “bail” which he rejected immediately which actually resulted in an uncompromising release of himself along with all the detained workers of MQM in January, 1988.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement – A political organization which Altaf Hussain founded can be described as a revolution against ruling elite of landlords, bureaucrats, and the military and stress upon the humble, lower-middle class background of their leaders. He is also a source of hope, pride, joy and liberation.

Altaf Hussain turned toward a discourse of class and justice rather than ethnicity and revolt but the civil and military establishment started one of the most inhuman operations against Altaf Hussains and MQM which annihilated 15,000 of his followers including his brother and nephew extra judicially. MQM later change her name from Mohajir Qaumi Movement to Muthida Qaumi Movement meaning the movement of the united nation rather than the Mohajir nation. Altaf Hussain’s MQM during the first local bodies election boycotted the elections under President Musharraf and took part in the national elections in 2002 to emerge as the third largest political party in Pakistan.

In 2005, Altaf Hussain’s nominated mayor, Mustafa Kamal under Haq Parast Panel (the righteous panel) won the elections to become the Mayor of the city where he went on to transform the city of Karachi, the main hug of Altaf Hussain’s support, into a world class city and was nominated as “one of the three” best mayors of the world by the Foreign Policy Magazine apart from receiving unprecedented support even from Mr.Hussain’s and MQM’s opponents. Today many international and national powers are working against MQM and everyday more and more propaganda has been done by international media in order to malign and defame Altaf Hussain but despite all these false accusations and media trial Altaf hussain seems to be more popular then ever, and his followers unshakable confidence in their beloved leader.

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