The dilemma of MQM and the Pakistan army

[Rahi812]

If Mr Hussain continues to lead the organisation, the popularity of the MQM will keep on dropping, and the party that was once able to unite and represent the middle class Urdu speaking community of Pakistan will lose its significance in the political arena

Once the BBC has aired the second part of its documentary regarding the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), we can almost confirm that the political career of the self-exiled founder of the party, Altaf Hussain, is almost over. And the likelihood of his recovery from these deep-rooted problems is extremely low. So is the case of General Musharraf. After his arrest warrant has been issued by the special court and his plea to leave the country on medical grounds has been turned down, we can pretty much conclude that he will not be able to evade a personal appearance before it anymore and that he will be indicted on the charge of high treason under Article six of the constitution.
In other words, Mr Hussain is rapidly becoming a liability for the MQM just like General Musharraf who has turned into a full-fledged nightmare for the Pakistan army. Not too long ago, each one had a strong grip on their organisation/party, each one of them was singlehandedly leading it without any opposition and each one would use his unlimited powers to stay atop. The two leaders were political allies and ‘close friends’, ready to help each other out on every issue — constitutional or not — including judicial matters pertaining to the chief justice of Pakistan. Now, facing legal repercussions for their (alleged) crimes, each one somehow hopes that their power base will be able to bail them out yet again.
As far as Mr Hussain is concerned, even his longtime supporters, in their private meetings, now agree that one day or another he will be arrested by the London police and will be prosecuted for money laundering, tax evasion and/or the assassination of Imran Farooq, a close associate of Mr Hussain and one of the oldest members of the party, who was murdered just outside his house on the rumours that he was having differences with his leader and was going to join another political party. His death was not welcomed by the people of Karachi nor it was taken lightly by the authorities in the UK; it has triggered a chain of unfavourable events for the leadership, which continues to unfold on a regular basis even three years after his death. With that being said, it is evident that if Mr Hussain continues to lead the organisation, the popularity of the MQM will keep on dropping, and the party that was once able to unite and represent the middle class Urdu speaking community of Pakistan for decades will lose its significance in the political arena very soon. Even now, it has already lost a tremendous amount of support as was noticeable in last year’s general election, but I think that the damage is not yet permanent and recovery from the crisis is still possible if the situation is handled with patience, political wisdom and thoughtfulness.
I realise that Altaf Hussain built this party on his own, against all odds and dedicated his life for the rights of the people of Karachi who, before his struggle, always felt ignored and under-represented even when the city, according to most Karachites, brought huge revenues for the federal government. Notwithstanding his contributions, in order to stop the bleeding, it is best in my opinion for him to announce a successor and leave the party as he is too controversial to lead it anymore. Furthermore, the sooner it is done the better would be the outcome not only for the MQM and Karachi but also for Sindh and Pakistan. Once he has stepped aside, the party can reorganise immediately and dissociate once and for all from violence in every shape or form.
I also believe that the old culture in Pakistan, when violence was supported and sometimes even sponsored by political parties, is going to end soon. I may be unrealistically optimistic but the truth is that both the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), the two parties of Pakistan who collectively have obtained more than 60 percent of the votes, have denounced this culture in Punjab. The PTI, especially in Karachi, was able to snatch thousands of votes from the areas that were traditionally considered as the strongholds of the MQM without firing a single bullet. Besides that, the old hostility of the PPP and PML-N is turning into a civilised political rivalry with respect for each other and understanding for each other’s mandate. In this new wave of political maturity, where a strong narrative regarding nonviolence is getting popular and improved governance is becoming a new benchmark, the MQM cannot stay behind and needs to be a part it. Unfortunately, it is impossible to accomplish this with the current leadership in place.
The same rule applies to General Musharraf. Every day that he stays in the army hospital under a dubious diagnosis and attempts to avoid a personal appearance before the court, it gets harder to defend his innocence. For many, his reluctance itself is an open admission of guilt. They believe in the presence of his signed document on the imposition of martial law saying, “I hereby order and proclaim that the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan shall remain in abeyance”; the verdict is clear. However, let us hold our horses and not talk about the verdict at present.
In my opinion, the prestige of the Pakistan army cannot be put at risk to protect the interests of one person. The army needs unanimous and unambiguous support of the people as its soldiers are being killed in terrorist attacks and it may also launch a countrywide operation against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Any diversion that can potentially divide the country instead of unifying it in this war can be disastrous. So, I would urge General Musharraf to put Pakistan’s interests before his own and follow the same maxim that he used to advocate for years: Pakistan first.


The dilemma of MQM and the Pakistan army

It is a very thought provoking article.

Altaf Hussain and Musharraf, both are liabilities on their own institutions.

 

[Pakistani E]

If Mr Hussain continues to lead the organisation, the popularity of the MQM will keep on dropping, and the party that was once able to unite and represent the middle class Urdu speaking community of Pakistan will lose its significance in the political arena

Once the BBC has aired the second part of its documentary regarding the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), we can almost confirm that the political career of the self-exiled founder of the party, Altaf Hussain, is almost over. And the likelihood of his recovery from these deep-rooted problems is extremely low. So is the case of General Musharraf. After his arrest warrant has been issued by the special court and his plea to leave the country on medical grounds has been turned down, we can pretty much conclude that he will not be able to evade a personal appearance before it anymore and that he will be indicted on the charge of high treason under Article six of the constitution.
In other words, Mr Hussain is rapidly becoming a liability for the MQM just like General Musharraf who has turned into a full-fledged nightmare for the Pakistan army. Not too long ago, each one had a strong grip on their organisation/party, each one of them was singlehandedly leading it without any opposition and each one would use his unlimited powers to stay atop. The two leaders were political allies and ‘close friends’, ready to help each other out on every issue — constitutional or not — including judicial matters pertaining to the chief justice of Pakistan. Now, facing legal repercussions for their (alleged) crimes, each one somehow hopes that their power base will be able to bail them out yet again.
As far as Mr Hussain is concerned, even his longtime supporters, in their private meetings, now agree that one day or another he will be arrested by the London police and will be prosecuted for money laundering, tax evasion and/or the assassination of Imran Farooq, a close associate of Mr Hussain and one of the oldest members of the party, who was murdered just outside his house on the rumours that he was having differences with his leader and was going to join another political party. His death was not welcomed by the people of Karachi nor it was taken lightly by the authorities in the UK; it has triggered a chain of unfavourable events for the leadership, which continues to unfold on a regular basis even three years after his death. With that being said, it is evident that if Mr Hussain continues to lead the organisation, the popularity of the MQM will keep on dropping, and the party that was once able to unite and represent the middle class Urdu speaking community of Pakistan for decades will lose its significance in the political arena very soon. Even now, it has already lost a tremendous amount of support as was noticeable in last year’s general election, but I think that the damage is not yet permanent and recovery from the crisis is still possible if the situation is handled with patience, political wisdom and thoughtfulness.
I realise that Altaf Hussain built this party on his own, against all odds and dedicated his life for the rights of the people of Karachi who, before his struggle, always felt ignored and under-represented even when the city, according to most Karachites, brought huge revenues for the federal government. Notwithstanding his contributions, in order to stop the bleeding, it is best in my opinion for him to announce a successor and leave the party as he is too controversial to lead it anymore. Furthermore, the sooner it is done the better would be the outcome not only for the MQM and Karachi but also for Sindh and Pakistan. Once he has stepped aside, the party can reorganise immediately and dissociate once and for all from violence in every shape or form.
I also believe that the old culture in Pakistan, when violence was supported and sometimes even sponsored by political parties, is going to end soon. I may be unrealistically optimistic but the truth is that both the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), the two parties of Pakistan who collectively have obtained more than 60 percent of the votes, have denounced this culture in Punjab. The PTI, especially in Karachi, was able to snatch thousands of votes from the areas that were traditionally considered as the strongholds of the MQM without firing a single bullet. Besides that, the old hostility of the PPP and PML-N is turning into a civilised political rivalry with respect for each other and understanding for each other’s mandate. In this new wave of political maturity, where a strong narrative regarding nonviolence is getting popular and improved governance is becoming a new benchmark, the MQM cannot stay behind and needs to be a part it. Unfortunately, it is impossible to accomplish this with the current leadership in place.
The same rule applies to General Musharraf. Every day that he stays in the army hospital under a dubious diagnosis and attempts to avoid a personal appearance before the court, it gets harder to defend his innocence. For many, his reluctance itself is an open admission of guilt. They believe in the presence of his signed document on the imposition of martial law saying, “I hereby order and proclaim that the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan shall remain in abeyance”; the verdict is clear. However, let us hold our horses and not talk about the verdict at present.
In my opinion, the prestige of the Pakistan army cannot be put at risk to protect the interests of one person. The army needs unanimous and unambiguous support of the people as its soldiers are being killed in terrorist attacks and it may also launch a countrywide operation against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Any diversion that can potentially divide the country instead of unifying it in this war can be disastrous. So, I would urge General Musharraf to put Pakistan’s interests before his own and follow the same maxim that he used to advocate for years: Pakistan first.


The dilemma of MQM and the Pakistan army

Owen Bennett-jones blames the army and ISI for being like Lord Shiva. I'm amazed at the two-faced syndrome many Pakistanis suffer from. Do you people who jump up and down about his reports on MQM also accept his correlation on Pak Army being like Lord Shiva? Don't divert to another topic, just ask this simple question, do you only accept things as being true if they are according to your mind set, or do you agree that there is more to it then what meets the eye?

 

[asimmasood87]

Nothing about the post.........but for MQM is and will always remain a violence-based party who wants to take over Karachi. Massive hypocrisy plus that joker in the U.K. Their supporters are simply blind.

 

[batmannow]

It is a very thought provoking article.

Altaf Hussain and Musharraf, both are liabilities on their own institutions.

stupid thinkers like you are the liabilites of PDF?

Nothing about the post.........but for MQM is and will always remain a violence-based party who wants to take over Karachi. Massive hypocrisy plus that joker in the U.K. Their supporters are simply blind.

you the only one with eyes?
with that massive votes, everytime since its birth MQM has proven the real & original representatives of the urban sindh , inthe worst of political conditions?

 

[Rahi812]

Nothing about the post.........but for MQM is and will always remain a violence-based party who wants to take over Karachi. Massive hypocrisy plus that joker in the U.K. Their supporters are simply blind.

I thing it is a part of politics or maybe the history. When the main stream parties don't care about any particular ethnic group. That group whenever they get a chance, they will react out in some way or the other. That's what happened in Karachi.
A big gap was left by the mainstream parties. That gap was filled by MQM. Someone like it or not. But MQM is a fact.
This is also probably a challenge for the main stream parties to stand against them. No main stream party accepted that challenge and gave MQM clear victory.

 

[SQ8]

The fact of the matter is that the noose is tightening around the main figure of the MQM. This is not Pakistan where criminal cases can simply be buried away. The rule of law is paramount within the United Kingdom and they do want those two suspects for their criminal investigation. The thing to note is that the military establishment is in the involved in matters of the MQM insomuch that it influences certain changes and actions of the party if and as when required. If the leader of the MQM is arrested then there it is certain that Karachi would be plunged into chaos; which will not only paralyse the city for nothing less than a month but also lead to severe loss of life along with further ethnic divide in this already fragile national fabric. The government cannot afford this especially at such a critical juncture when the nation is already half dead terrorists and its economy on the ventilator. Therefore, the idea is to bring in alternative leadership options with the MQM so much so that when (not if) Mr Altaf Hussain locked up there is an alternative figurehead who can bring some semblance of control to the chaos that will follow. Until this object is of alternative leadership for the MQM is accomplished the government and the establishment will continue to delay access to Scotland Yard of the two suspects.

 

[Donatello]

The fact of the matter is that the noose is tightening around the main figure of the MQM. This is not Pakistan where criminal cases can simply be buried away. The rule of law is paramount within the United Kingdom and they do want those two suspects for their criminal investigation. The thing to note is that the military establishment is in the involved in matters of the MQM insomuch that it influences certain changes and actions of the party if and as when required. If the leader of the MQM is arrested then there it is certain that Karachi would be plunged into chaos; which will not only paralyse the city for nothing less than a month but also lead to severe loss of life along with further ethnic divide in this already fragile national fabric. The government cannot afford this especially at such a critical juncture when the nation is already half dead terrorists and its economy on the ventilator. Therefore, the idea is to bring in alternative leadership options with the MQM so much so that when (not if) Mr Altaf Hussain locked up there is an alternative figurehead who can bring some semblance of control to the chaos that will follow. Until this object is of alternative leadership for the MQM is accomplished the government and the establishment will continue to delay access to Scotland Yard of the two suspects.

There was someone claiming that the two 'suspects' in this case have not been held by Pakistan. It was a just a rumor that they were captured from Karachi.