Altaf Hussain MQM Collapses| Shocking End to a Toxic Legacy!
The Demise of Altaf Hussain’s Movement — The Poison of Ethnocentrism and History’s Warning
On August 11, 2025, Altaf Hussain, the founder of MQM, living a self-imposed exile in Britain, made an announcement that put a final seal on his four-decade-long political career. His statement was brief but profound:
“Today, I free all movement workers from the oath of loyalty to the movement and to me.”
This moment is not only a bitter lesson for MQM workers but for the whole of Pakistan — especially for those who still consider ethnocentric or prejudiced struggles as a path to salvation.
Established in 1984 as the “Muhajir Qaumi Movement,” this party emerged as a representative of the real grievances of the Urdu-speaking population of Karachi and urban Sindh at that time. Census data shows that in 1981, 54 percent of Karachi’s population was Urdu-speaking. Issues such as the imposition of a quota system over merit in educational institutions, deprivation in government jobs, and the dilapidated state of urban infrastructure fueled intense anger among the youth.
But a movement raised on the basis of hatred and prejudice soon transformed into an aggressive and militaristic party. Between 1988 and 1994, hundreds of political workers, journalists, teachers, and police personnel were killed in targeted killings in Karachi. According to newspaper reports and investigative commissions, over 3,500 people were killed in 1995 alone, a large number of whom were armed workers of various MQM factions.
After four decades of this “long struggle,” when Altaf Hussain dissolved the party, the scene was the same as it was in the 1980s — the issues remain unchanged. Meanwhile, Karachi’s infrastructure has been completely destroyed, the water and electricity crisis has reached its worst, and the crime rate is the highest in the country.
During this “struggle for rights,” desert towns like Qatar, Dubai, and Oman became centers of global trade and economy. And Karachi, Asia’s fastest-growing city, has become worse than the towns of Punjab.
In this “struggle for rights,” thousands of youth — the educated pride of families who migrated from Delhi, UP, and Bihar — fell victim to armed clashes, police encounters, and internal party disputes. Some were found dead on street corners, some disappeared forever while traveling to and from training camps in India, and the rest became “fat,” “blind,” or “lame,” proving to be a mark of disgrace for their families.
The result? Neither the city changed, nor were the issues resolved, nor was any political success achieved. Only disgrace and despair.
On this occasion, I humbly request Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch — please learn from the history and politics of MQM. If there is even a glimpse of Altaf Hussain’s model in your slogans, language, or methods, it is not service to the Baloch nation but will only prove to be a cause of further destruction for the Baloch.
Today, the Baloch people truly need water, education, employment, and security, not a politics rooted in prejudice, division, hatred, and violence.
It is also important to remember that it was only Jamaat-e-Islami that never bowed before Altaf Hussain’s ethnocentrism and prejudice. Be it Munawar Hasan, Naimatullah Khan, or Professor Ghafoor Ahmed — or their thousands of other companions, they were all Urdu-speaking and Muhajirs too. Yet, they always rejected politics based on ethnicity and language. In fact, despite being Muhajirs themselves, they became the biggest targets of the violence and prejudice perpetrated in the name of Muhajirs.
Let it be clear that the poison of ethnocentrism and prejudice may ignite temporary fervor, but it cannot bring lasting prosperity. History bears witness that movements built on the poison of hatred, division, and ethnocentrism always lead to destruction and ultimately crumble to an end.
The demise of Altaf Hussain’s movement stands before us today — like a political corpse. The question is: will we learn from this funeral of ethnocentric and prejudiced politics, or will we be ready to drink the same poison again in a new form?
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