INDIA LINK INTERNATIONAL
16, Jan 99 - 15 Mar 99
Vol. 6 No. 1

Altaf Hussain -
Che' Guvera of Pakistan or Qaide' Azam the Second.
Special Interview by Krishan Ralleigh

Altaf Hussain, the undisputed leader of the Mohajirs (refugees from India after partition and their children) lives in exile in England; and from remote control guides the movement which stood for equality and justice in a land where the powerful landlords from one province think servitude of the peasants and workers 'kisan' aur 'mazdoor' to their landlords 'zamindars' and petty nawabs is a 'natural order of things' ordained by Allah.

Any one who is not of their province is an outsider, a Mohajir. Any one who is of a different religion, be a Christian or a Hindu, has no right to say any thing in Pakistan. Even a person of a different sect of Islam is a non-believer; hence he has no rights to live with respect in the country so beloved of God, 'the purest form of polity' that ever existed on the face of this earth.

Altaf Hussain has stood against the tide bravely. He and his family have been tortured, punished economically and psychologically; but the man with truth on his side, has grown like a giant to shake and destroy the mammon worshippers who are filling their coffers with money taken from the poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich ( USA and International Monetary Fund ). They have their villas in Switzerland, country houses in England and acres of fertile land in the Punjab.

Altaf Hussain, born on 17 September 1953, in Karachi, comes from a respectable and educated family of Agra, ( the city of the Taj Mahal ), India His father Nazeer Hussain and his mother Mst. Khursheed Begum migrated to Pakistan in the wake of 1947 riots, for a new beginning in the 'land of the pure'. The young Altaf, studied in Karachi University and graduated in science and then in Pharmacy. He faced discrimination and oppression because his parents came from India; and perhaps spoke better Urdu; and tried to live a civilized life as it was in their very nature and upbringing.

Personally humiliated, the young rebel stood against oppression. He became the founder of a movement which aimed to abolish the mediaeval feudal system which has been prevailing in Pakistan since its inception. Corrupt bureaucrats and army generals ruled the country in turn thus depriving the masses of playing a positive role in its administration and politics. He is striving for the attainment of due rights of every citizen of the country irrespect of caste, colour, creed, culture, origin, sex, sect and religion. "In Pakistan", says Altaf Hussain, "Democracy means government of the feudal, by the feudal and for the feudal." To turn it into a government of the people, by the people and for the people, is the prime object of Altaf Hussain and his MQM party. His party believes in the rule of law, equality, justice and fundamental human rights for every citizen of the country. Like Lenin in exile, Altaf Hussain is hoping that the time is not far when the people of Pakistan would rise against this tyranny of the feudal lords, and welcome him back to his homeland. The latest news coming from Karachi seems to be a grim one. 'How would you summarise the present situation? I asked Altaf Hussain.

"This is the result of the 'three' pronged strategy of the Establishment. First Isolation; then criminalisation and lastly demoralisation." Explaining each of them in detail, Altaf continued, "Mohajirs are being isolated from the rest of the communities in the country, through physical, psychological, social and political pressures. Army operations, leading to either exile or jail in the country were meant to give the impression that the leaders were unpatriotic; and not fit to fight elections and win seats in the assembly of the country. Imprisonment and torture were meant to create the impression among the masses that the followers of the MQM are criminals. This strategy of dubbing the leaders of MQM could be seen in false and fabricated accusations of Jinnahpur."

"The third strategy," explained Altaf Hussain 'is that of demoralisation. Once we are isolated and termed criminals, the demoralisation among the members would set in. All the three aspects of this strategy of the Establishment are inter-linked; because once people are isolated from their countrymen and criminalised through a sustained campaign, it is quite natural for them to lose morale. This is what the Establishment is doing. force the leadership to either leave the country or go into hiding or exile or arrest them, raid their houses, arrest innocent men, violate the sanctity of women and similar other tactics,"

Altaf Hussain believes that the main purpose of this three-pronged strategy is to eliminate Mohajirs for good and convert Karachi into a colony of Punjab. An aim which may be possible if they destroy the MQM."

Altaf Hussain is of the firm belief that only by land reforms, the country can prosper. He also favours economics partnership with India.

Altaf Hussain, in his powerful speeches, always appeals to intelligentsia - poets, writers, teachers-especially teachers of politics and economics, to see through this nefarious policy of the ruling class. He regularly exhorts them not to lose hope at any cost, remain united, steadfast and determined. He cites the examples of Nelson Mandela and Yassar Arafat, who almost all their active life struggled and were jailed. Today, Nelson Mandela is leading his multi-cultural, multi-religious society towards economic prosperity. A day may come, when Altaf Hussain will take the leadership of the people of Pakistan; and that perhaps will be a new turn in the politics of the subcontinent. So we all hope.