Altaf Hussain’s website unblocked in Pakistan after seven years

By Murtaza Ali Shah

June 25, 2023

Exiled founder of Pakistan´s Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain speaks to members of the media as he arrives at Kingston Crown Court in Kingston upon Thames, south London, on January 31, 2022. — AFP

LONDON: Pakistani authorities have unblocked the official website of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader and founder Altaf Hussain – after a ban of seven years.

The official website of Altaf Hussain’s MQM – mqm.org – is now accessible across Pakistan and the MQM-London spokesman Mustafa Azizabadi confirmed to Geo News that the website has been unblocked, generating huge traffic especially from Karachi.

Journalists in Karachi confirmed that Hussain’s official website is accessible in Karachi and the rest of Pakistan. Authorities in Pakistan had blocked MQM-London’s website after Altaf Hussain’s controversial speech on Aug 22, 2016.

A widespread crackdown against the MQM leadership had started and Hussain was completely excluded from the Pakistani party who disowned Hussain and his London associates.

Some of the digital assets of Hussain’s party was taken away by MQM-Pakistan which started working under Dr Farooq Sattar and other renegades in MQM-Pakistan.

The unblocking of MQM’s website follows after Hussain’s recent speeches in which he reminded the establishment of Pakistan that he had only criticised their role in politics while Imran Khan actually incited his supporters to attack the military installations.

He had frequently spoken about the dual standards of justice and complained that he was singled out because he was a Mohajir leader.

MQM-Pakistan’s Syed Aminul Haque is the federal minister of information technology and telecommunication and decisions to block or unblock websites are taken by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

Haque is involved in a £13 million property dispute with Hussain at the UK High Court.

Mustafa Azizabadi confirmed that he knew the authorities had unblocked his party’s official website but he denied any backdoor deal or any arrangement.

He said: “We welcome the decision to unblock MQM website. Altaf Hussain is a genuine representative of millions of Pakistanis.

He is a patriotic Pakistanis whose forefathers created Pakistan. He has campaigned for a long time for the lifting of the ban on MQM and we will continue our peaceful and democratic struggle for our motherland.”

Azizabadi requested the authorities to end illegal ban on Hussain’s speeches.