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Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), officially known up to 26 July 1997 ()as Mohajir Qaumi Movement (Emigrant National Movement) , is a political party in Pakistan. MQM has no strong religious or political ideology, it should be more considered as a moderate liberal and secularist party, as well as an ethnic party.
MQM represents the urban Urdu-speaking Mohajir population which emigrated from India when Pakistan and India split in 1947. MQM agitates for Mohajir rights in Pakistan, and struggles to gain more political power for Mohajirs. The MQM also seeks to improve the low social and economic status of the Mohajir population.
Philosophy
MQM claims that official discrimination against Muhajirs began in 1958 when Muhammad Ayub Khan seized the presidency of Pakistan in a military coup. Ayub Khan systematically eliminated Mohajirs from important positions in the civil service, bureaucracy and local government. MQM accuses the subsequent administration of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of nationalizing Mohajir businesses, unfairly taxing them, and outlawing the use of Urdu by teachers and bureaucrats. MQM is strongly opposed to the domination of the rural population of the Sindh province by landed oligarchs, as well as the domination of the Sindh by Punjab, Pakistan's largest, wealthiest, and most populous province.
Nowadays, as clearly expressed on the party's website, MQM is against all sorts of religious extremism, discrimination and feudalism, which it considers responsible for having destroyed Pakistan's political and economic system. Because of the strong speeches of its leader Altaf Husain against the Muslim fundamentalists, he and his party are the targets of many attacks, including on the internet.
Political history
The MQM's formation had a lot to do with ISI funding and influence, as Zia ul Haq wanted a party to break the PPP's domination of Karachi. The MQM however went out of control and began a violent struggle for Mohajirs that turned Karachi into a warzone. It was finally in 1992 that an Army operation was launched in Karachi and the MQM's gunmen.armories and torture rooms were destroyed. The Army involvement is an indication of the seriousness of the crisis that MQM perpetrated in Karachi. Since the army operation and subsequent heavy activities of Pakistani police and paramilitary, the MQM has given up violent activities.
MQM is limited to Karachi areas, where the Muhajir population lives. Many Pakistanis refuse to recognize that an identity such as "Muhajir" even exists, and view it as a artificial identity meant to divide Pakistanis and give power to politicians. THE IDEOLOGY OF MUTTAHIDA QUAMI MOVEMENT (MQM)
Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) believes in Realism and Practicalism. Acceptance of reality with an open heart is Realism, a concept based upon the philosophy of its Founder and Leader Mr. Altaf Hussain. Based on Realism positive achievement made through ideologically supported pragmatic programs is called Practicalism.
The short history of Pakistan will show that the country has been ruled throughout by feudal lords, waderas and bureaucrats belonging to the two percent privileged population of the country. This class dominates the country’s political life, the administrative services, the military establishments, the economy and the general decision making process, while the 98 percent under-privileged population is denied its rightful share in the exercise of political and economic power in running the affairs of the state. Being politically disadvantaged and economically handicapped this sector of the society is unable to find a place in the assemblies and the corridors of power in the country. As a consequence, it remains perpetually deprived and alienated. It just plays second fiddle to the ruling class. It is obliged to vote for them, make up the crowd in their political gatherings and processions, raise slogans and resort to appreciative clapping to their soulless and hackneyed speeches, containing promises which are never meant to be fulfilled.
According to the Constitution of Pakistan, every citizen has the right to participate in elections and represent the people in the assemblies. However the two percent privileged class has made the entry of the remaining population to the assemblies well nigh impossible. Lavish expenditures on political campaigning have rendered elections as a rich man’s game in which the less fortunate class cannot compete. All major political parties routinely voice sympathy and concern for the poor but refuse to accommodate them in the assemblies and national power structure. Thus the poor workers despite sincere work and sacrifices remain perpetual bystanders.
In the above circumstances, therefore, real democratic culture could not be established in Pakistan. Real democracy means the rule of the majority or in other words Government of the people, by the people, for the people. But strangely in Pakistan even in the name of democracy, the same two percent privileged class manages to induct its members into the assemblies and other positions of power, while the 98 percent of the lower and middle class population is totally deprived of its genuine representation.
The democratic system has not developed strong roots in Pakistan, as the two percent privileged class now ruling the country has neither any concern for the masses nor any genuine love for the democratic institutions. Their primary objective is to remain in power and protect their interests at all costs. Naturally, therefore, people belonging to such a mindset neither resist undemocratic and unconstitutional activities in the country nor feel any compunction in readily accepting and recognising illegal governments, so long as their personal interests are protected and they are also allowed a share in the booty.
If we look at the record of the various governments of Pakistan since its inception, we will easily notice that be it a democratic government or martial regime, it has always been monopolised by the same two percent privileged class of the country. As a clever move, this class has inducted its members into all major political parties of the country. This ensures their permanent link with the power irrespective of which party is in the government at a given time. This monopolistic plan of the two percent privileged class is the main cause of the instability in the democratic institutions of the country. The two- percent ruling class mainly comprises of the feudal lords, While the remaining 98 percent population consists of the poor, oppressed and deprived ones. It is now for the people of Pakistan to judge and decide as to how this small self-centred two- percent ruling class could solve the problems faced by the 98 percent. Isolated and insulated from the masses, this class is totally unaware of the sufferings, agonies, anxieties as well as the aspiration and hopes of the poor and oppressed people. The living standards and the life style of the privileged class are poles apart from the way of life of the less fortunate and alienated people. In fact there is hardly any meeting point between the two of them.
The members of this privileged class spend millions of rupees to get elected to the national and provincial assemblies. Hence, their first priority on coming to power is to recover their capital spent on the election campaign, of course, along with compound interest and dividends. They have little time and energy for resolving the problems of their constituencies. For them, power and privileges are the main objective in coming into politics, they do not hesitate to compromise our principles and ideologies and willingly indulge in all kinds of undemocratic practices in order to maintain their hold on the establishment.
As the elected people from the elite class on reaching the corridors of power work only for the interest of the two- percent population, the masses who elected them find their problems unresolved. They are consequently becoming more rich. They are accumulating wealth with both hands. New land holdings are being acquired, prestigious bungalows, villas are being purchased within the country and abroad, and factories are being established with dubiously acquired capital. MQM, therefore, feels strongly that Pakistan can never prosper unless the prevailing corrupt political, economic and social system is brought to an end. It is certain that under the existing set up, the people of Pakistan cannot move ahead towards prosperity nor can there be any stability in the democratic system. It is possible only when the 98 percent poor and middle class people get united and adequately represented in the assemblies and places of power through qualified, honest and committed people belonging to their own class.
The under privileged majority in the country should therefore realise that if they want deliverance from the clutches of the exploiting class and also wish to see the country stable and prosperous then they should elect representatives from their own ranks. Prima facie, it is a difficult task as without wealth any success in elections is next to impossible. But this is really not true. MQM has shown the way.
In the political history of Pakistan, MQM has demolished this antiquated system of thinking. Accepting the facts and realities as they exist in the country, MQM adopted the path of Practicalism and finally made a breakthrough. It succeeded in sending a large number of lower and middle class educated members to the provincial and national assemblies from Karachi, Hyderabad and other urban centres of Sindh without any monetary burden on the part of the incumbents. MQM feels that having shown the way the poor and middle class individuals in other regions of the country should also try to reach the assemblies. But to achieve this, it is necessary that the lower and middle classes of the country should adopt the MQM philosophy of Realism and Practicalism. They should be ready to make a concerted struggle and be prepared for sacrifices. Once the lower and middle class dominates the assemblies, we shall be able to bring about true democracy in the country and solve the problems of the oppressed masses.
mqm@mqm.org
Current goals
In 1992, MQM split into two factions. The majority faction, led by the founder Altaf Hussain, was renamed Muttahida Quami Movement and is commonly referred to as MQM (A). The MQM (A) has become an exclusively political outfit. The smaller faction, MQM (H), retained the original name, Mohajir Qaumi Movement but added the suffix Haqiqi, which means "real". MQM (A) and MQM (H) are involved in a turf war in Karachi.
with the goal of destabilizing MQM's base by promoting the offshoot MQM (H) as a pro-government force against the anti-government MQM (A). MQM (H) was provided with arms and ideological backing by the Islamic fundamentalists that the ISI was already supporting in Afghanistan and Kashmir. The violent struggle between the factions and other ethnic parties in Karachi was eventually put down by Army and Police operations that were conducted with brutal efficiency.
Opposing views
It is generally believed in Pakistan that MQM was created by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), main military intelligence agency in Pakistan. It was created to break the stronghold of Benazir Bhutto in her home province, Sindh. ISI believed that the ethnic tension between Sindhis and Muhajirs will distract Benazir Bhutto and her political party, Pakistan Peoples Party, from launching campaign against the military government of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Altaf Hussain was living in Chicago at that time and he was called to form a Muhajir ethnic political party with funds supplied by ISI.
The success of MQM in attracting support of Muhjairs both surprised and scared the ISI. This unexpected popularity helped MQM to chart it's own independent political course rather than follow the ISI agenda. MQM went out of control of ISI and began a violent struggle for Muhajirs that turned Karachi into a virtual war-zone. In 1992, after months of extreme violence by the MQM, Pakistan Army launched a military operation to restore law and order in Karachi. The MQM gunmen were killed or arrested, armories and torture rooms were destroyed. The Army involvement is an indication of the seriousness of the crisis that MQM perpetrated in Karachi. Since the army operation and subsequent heavy activities of Pakistani police and paramilitary, the MQM has given up it's violent activities.
Recent trend
MQM boycotted 2001 muncipal elections giving lame excuses. It later regretted it's decision as Jamaat-i-Islami won elections in Karachi. MQM participated in 2002 national election and secured most of the urban areas seats in Sindh province. Altaf Hussain supported General Pervez Musharraf U-turn on September 11, 2001 attacks in New York, USA. Recently he visited India and spoke on many international forums. In 2005, Haq Parast candidates, supported by MQM, won the muncipal elections in Karachi and Hyderabad.
Role in war against terrorism
Even though MQM has tried to publicise it's political agenda as to support cordial relations with minority groups, and religious moderation; MQM has remained considerably adamant of the fact that it itself indulges on a humangous scale, in sectarian violence and acts of attrocities on innocent civilians. It actively supports the rule of guns and violence, and as such has terrorized the working populous of the city of Karachi for pretty much of the last two decades. Through such acts MQM has not only secured it's survival in the city politics of Karachi, but also has achieved a great degree of success in contolling it.
Most Pakistanis consider the MQM a terrorist organization, which puts into question the military governments role in the war aginast terror, as the MQM is allied with the military government.
MQM international network
MQM has little international political affinities. Though a large recognizible political and sectarian force in the Karachi domain it's power mainly lies hereto, having effectively no influence on Pakistan's national and international political scenerio
See also
References
External links
Arrest & Arms recovery from MQM workers
Yearwise detail of MQM's atrocities
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