Altaf Hussain's Call For Separation Of Karachi
30 May 2013
By Saeed Qureshi
The MQM chief Altaf Hussain‘s conditional call for
separating Karachi city from Pakistan comes closer to
the independence of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965.
The Singapore separation from Malaysia that it
willingly joined in 1963, was the result of extreme
strife, unbridgeable disagreements and ethnic
bitterness between the Chinese origin population and
the native Malayans mostly Muslims. Is it also the
blue print of Jinnahpur that was later swept under the
carpet?
Altaf Hussain the fiery and unbridled chief of MQM has
enslaved or indoctrinated his Muhajir community,
mostly settled in Karachi city after their migration
from India in 1947. By his rigid and merciless
authoritarianism, instead of integrating, he has
isolated his community from the mainstream populace of
Pakistan. MQM is basically a movement for the sake of
Muhajirs as an ethnic entity and not for the Pakistani
nation.
Since its formation in 1984 as Muhajir Qaumi Movement
and later renamed as Muttahida Qaumi Movement in 1997,
the imprint of MQM in the minds of the people is that
of a kind of mafia or an entity of roughnecks or
extortionists. It is believed that the special death
and terror squads within MQM kill, kidnap and torture
their rivals including the critics from within the MQM
fold.
There has been also a prevailing impression that has
gained ground, that the extortions or the obnoxious
"parchi system" was first started by MQM to raise
funds for the organization to become financially
robust for carrying out its political and apolitical
activities. Undoubtedly Altaf Hussain has proven to be
a great and unassailable master and unbending and
strict lord of his party.
He can summon the multitudes of Urdu speaking
Pakistanis and Muhajirs within a matter of hours and
with one call. They all gather at a venue with their
heads down and hands motionless unless raised to cheer
or clap for the scathing tirade of their great master.
They sit rather motionless for hours together
listening to his long, dreary and high pitched
discourses as if they have been bewitched or
mesmerized. There is a gossip that anyone who does not
clap or come to the assemblage is dealt with
vindictively.
Several pioneering cohorts and companions are alleged
to have lost their lives in all these years ostensibly
due to their opposition of the ruthless leader with
symptoms of indiscretion. Their names are in the
public knowledge. The MQM captures most seats in
Karachi both for the National Assembly and for the
Sindh provincial assembly. These seats in the distant
past used to be shared by Jamaat-i-Islami and some
other political factions. But for many years now these
are exclusively bagged by MQM.
With a sizable number of seats in the federal and
provincial parliaments, the MQM gathers enough
bargaining clout and leverage to share the power at
the center and in Sindh. The latest show of their
bargaining power was brought to bear in case of their
coalition with the PPP government in the national
assembly for almost five years with some brief walkout
periods.
The MQM has been playing its bargaining card with
great dexterity and with a mix of pressure and fear
hanging upon the main coalition partner. Thus it would
be in a decisive position always to draw as many perks
and concessions that it would place on the table for
becoming the coalition partner.
The MQM's political behavior for all these years has
been to browbeat and flex its muscles whenever its
hegemony was challenged by other groups within the
context of Karachi and broadly in Sindh. A shrewd and
Machiavellian person like president Zardari has always
been going extra mile to accommodate MQM's demands not
matter how unreasonable or excessive those would be.
However, the May11, 2013 general elections seemed to
have changed the turf, the ground realities, terms of
engagement, and environment specifically in Karachi,
Hyderabad and generally elsewhere in Sindh province.
For the first time there have been aggressive contests
with the MQM candidates. The PTI and JI have jointly
put up candidates in the constituencies that were out
of bound for non-MQM parties.
Yet those who lost in various constituencies alleged
serious irregularities and indeed rigging in the areas
inhabited by the Muhajir communities. The terror and
revenge that is associated with the covert and overt
activities of MQM, restrain the rival candidates and
their supporters to canvass or carry out their
electioneering campaigning.
Also, for the first time, there has been massive
reaction from other political parties contesting the
elections. As a result there could be a possibility
that reelection or recounting of votes is disputed
constituencies is considered by the Election
Commission. That possibility has outraged Altaf
Hussain so much that he has implicitly demanded
separation of Karachi from the rest of the landmass.
By broaching the separation of Karachi from the rest
of Pakistan, Mr. Hussain seems to be stepping into the
shoes of Mujibur Rehman who was the architect,
executor and proponent of cessation of East Pakistan.
Although in all fairness, the West Pakistani
politicians and the army was much to blame for the
tragic dismemberment of one united Pakistan.
The latest address of Mr. Altaf Hussain is pregnant
with serious threats and warnings to those who
according to him were trying to push the Muhajirs to
the wall. If it happens he thundered, neither Pakistan
nor its perpetrators would survive. He also lashed out
at the media and those journalists who opposed MQM and
dubbed them as barking dogs.
Altaf Hussain has the seeds of a great leader and in
this role he has converted his thus far meek and
marginalized community into a monolithic, united,
formidable force that rose to prominence to the extent
of becoming a shareholder in political power.
But instead that he himself should have looked upon as
an apostle of peace and love, he came to be known as a
dreaded and pitiless czar and a violent baron. The MQM
itself bore the stamp of an ethic entity with a
prevalent perception that it was like a mafia that
mostly uses terror and intimidation to draw loyalty
out of its cadres. Thus Altaf Hussain unwittingly or
inadvertently isolated the MQM from being a party of
the national standing.
In his latest tirade from London, while mentioning
Mujibur Rehman and the break-up of Pakistan in 1971,
he threw the idea of separating Karachi an independent
unit if MQM"s mandate was not acceptable to the
establishment. He warned that by giving one call he
could create mayhem in Karachi. Does he want further
dismemberment of Pakistan and is prepared to fight
back by mobilizing the Muhajir community?
Does he know that the
conditions behind the separation of East Pakistan in
1971 were drastically different from those related to
Karachi? Does he mean India would replay her role of
further truncating Pakistan and free Karachi for the
migrated population to live independently? Can his
statements no matter emotional, be interpreted as
seditious and treasonable?
It would be absolutely preferable if MQM sheds its
image of being a rogue entity and Altaf Hussain
elevates his role from an ethnic boss to that of a
national leader. Instead of donning an insidious role
like Bal Thackeray or eyeing on what Sheikh Mujibur
Rehman right or wrong achieved, he should liberate and
unleash his own people from his fearsome stranglehold.
Regardless of what the press projects about him and
the MQM, or what his questionable conduct has remained
thus far, he should rise above the ethnic straight
jacket and serve the entire Pakistani nations.
He should speak and represent the people of Pakistan
and not exclusively Muhajirs. That role would endear
him to the entire Pakistani nation and he would be
venerated not as a clan lord but a lofty leader of
national prominence. By way of suggestion, he should
rename Muhajir Qaumi Movement ( MQM) as Pakistan Qaumi
Movement (PQM).
©
EsinIslam.Com
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