close
Tuesday March 19, 2024

MQM: on the mend?

By Shahzad Chaudhry
August 26, 2016

Farooq Sattar’s presser, after Altaf Hussain ripped into any pretensions of patriotism by making his followers raise anti-Pakistan slogans, could be a political masterstroke if he can pull it off.

The odds are divided. The MQM has always been an enigmatic entity. At one time brilliant by bringing forth the best of the educated middle-class, and at another the worst possible exposition of a fascist, militant, terror outfit.

It has won the urban vote in Sindh through an ideological loyalty invoking the perception of deprivations among millions who chose Pakistan over India at Partition, and for fear of being simply eliminated by the militant wing of the party were a Mohajir to think differently. Hundreds have disappeared over the three decades since the party was formed.

Paradoxically, the party makes significant contributions to the political process at the national level through its refined input in parliament. This is the softer face of the party – the political wing.

The heinousness of the MQM’s militant ways are too gross to be recorded here. But stories with reasonable credibility abound. An organisational network that is far too sophisticated by the political standards of Pakistan, the dictatorial powers of Altaf Hussain over who lives and who does not are fabled. It is popularly known that he rubbishes the highest placed leaders of his party by making them do menial work for him and for the organisation.

The party manual states as clearly for anyone joining the party that Altaf Hussain will hold the ultimate power of deciding the fate of any blood relation of the member were the ‘Leader’ to find deviance from party or the Leader’s interest. Another clause states that a member enjoins his entire being to the wishes of the Leader when joining the party. I paraphrase, of course. But you get the point. Further, Altaf is the party, and the party is Altaf, in clear cloning of the fascist rule of the emperor being the state.

But of late, in fact for almost over two decades now the chief had moved out to London in self-exile, fearing for his life as the state in Pakistan got stronger and the idea of the MQM began to be challenged. Yet, his power over the lives of others was so pervasive that loosening his hold was still impossible. He could hold the entire city of Karachi ransom on simply one call. He moved and changed organisational positions of his workers and party members at whim; in one day making the lowliest the highest and vice versa.

He could call his entire party and its leadership and make them sit through hours and hours of rambling, sometime replete with filthy abuse. That may have been necessary to reassure himself that the party still moved at his will but it bordered on insanity and outright irrationality. Yet, the pantomime went on. Till the state struck.

Karachi had become ungovernable; a state unto itself. The MQM and its militant ways gave rise to competing militancy which attracted crime and gang-war. This mix also enabled an environment where many hues of terror could find shelter. The Supreme Court asked the government to restore order and rule of law.

That is when the government was pushed to invite the paramilitary Rangers to take on the responsibility. It is thence that the Rangers, assisted by the police, unearthed the nets and dens of the militant wings of almost all political parties and terror groups.

This hurt Altaf’s interests and directly threatened to loosen his hold over the party and the city. It was through these that he and his elaborate setup in London was sustained. His militant wings and crime syndicates indulged in extortion and kidnapping for ransom, and pilfered money from the various administrative structures in the 20 million population city where the MQM held sway.

When they failed to receive their money, they killed the targeted persons or burned them alive as was the case in the famous Baldia Factory incident. Over 200 were incinerated in this fire, unable to escape since the doors had been locked from the outside.

It was inhuman and unsustainable. It worked till the Rangers called time on it. This is also when things began heading south for Altaf. His rants became frequent; he lost control over his thoughts and – sitting in the safety of a foreign country which valued freedoms – he exploited such opportunity to malign state institutions at will and in a language which was insulting. This brought the entire party into disrepute. Many supporters of the party began having second thoughts or simply kept away.

The polled votes began shrinking in the various elections though the MQM still won their traditional constituencies. Other political entities began making inroads. Competition raised its head. The business and social environment changed for the better and fear began to disappear. Improvements in law and order, widespread curtailment of crime and terror, and the dismantling of the organised militant structures that had for so long sustained Altaf Hussain’s hold over the party meant that the MQM’s bite began to weaken.

Altaf can only exercise as much control from a foreign land as can be locally exercised through the party structures. The militant wing not only ran terror errands it also acted as an ideological check on the party’s political wing. When those party structures became weak, the political cadres of the party began to exercise greater independence. Many left the party, and as an interim step settled abroad having nothing to do with the MQM. Those who stayed in, including people like Farooq Sattar, began making saner noises.

Reportedly, this is when the political cadres first suggested to Altaf to disassociate himself from the party and let the local leadership take the helm. He ranted some more till he finally played his final act of denigrating Pakistan in the vilest ways through his supporters.

This opened that chink for the local leadership to declare separation from London. It will be a gradual process of disassociation since sudden ruptures can tear at the seams. But for all practical purposes the MQM will now exist as two chapters: London and Pakistan.

The vile part of the MQM will go under the London Chapter while the softer, saner political wing will keep away and disown the militants, as declared and possibly in practice. This should open up avenues for more positive changes to Karachi and to Pakistani politics.

The writer is a retired air-vice marshal, former ambassador and a security and political analyst.

Email: shhzdchdhry@yahoo.com