Muttahida Qaumi Movement – London
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement – London, also known as MQM–London, previously known as the Muhajir Qaumi Movement – Altaf or MQM–Altaf, was a Muhajir nationalist and secular socio-liberalist political party in Pakistan that was founded by Altaf Hussain in 1984. Currently the party is split between multiple factions. The MQM–London faction, which was controlled by Altaf Hussain from London, while the separate MQM–Pakistan is run by Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui based in Pakistan, while another, the MQM-Haqiqi faction, is led by Afaq Ahmed. Its electoral symbol was a kite.
It was founded as a student organization, All Pakistan Muhajir Student Organization, in 1978 by Altaf Hussain. APMSO gave birth to the Muhajir Qaumi Movement in 1984. In 1997, the MQM removed the term Muhajir from its name and replaced it with Muttahida. The MQM was generally known as the party that once held strong mobilizing potential in Karachi, having formerly been the dominant political force in the city.
The party had kept its influence over Pakistan's federal government as a key coalition partner since the late 1980s. However, in 2015, MQM parliamentarians resigned from the National Assembly, Senate and Provincial Assembly of Sindh in protest against a crackdown on party supporters.
In August 2016, after Altaf Hussain's controversial 22 August speech, there was a crackdown on the party. Nine Zero, the party's headquarters in Karachi, was raided, sealed, and bulldozed. The party's leaders residing in Pakistan, including Farooq Sattar, were arrested, and most elected parliamentarians in the MQM disassociated themselves from Altaf Hussain due to his speech. MQM terminated Farooq Sattar's party membership for party rules violations, from where he then formed his own MQM faction.
The party was officially dissolved on 12 August 2025 by Altaf Hussain who, after having worked for it for almost 47 years since its founding in 1978, told his party workers that they were free to join any party that they wished. This came after the party had been inactive for almost 9 years since the Nine Zero raids of 2016. Hussain cited the repression of his family, continued persecution of his followers, failing to secure rights for Muhajirs, and Pakistan's rigid and unchangeable system for doing so.
History
Founding
The first political organization of Muhajirs, called the All Pakistan Muhajir Student Organization, was founded on 11 June 1978 by Altaf Hussain at Karachi University. On March 18, 1984, the APMSO evolved into a proper political organization—the Muhajir Qaumi Movement. It was launched to protect the Muhajir community who perceived themselves as the victims of discrimination and repression by the quota system that gave preference to certain ethnicities for admissions in educational institutions and employment in civil services.Late 1986 to 1990
In its early years, MQM drew enormous crowds, the epitome of which was the rally of August 8, 1986 at Nishtar Park, Karachi. Three years into its existence, MQM won the November 1987 local body elections in Karachi and Hyderabad and had several mayors win unopposed. Pakistan Peoples Party won the highest number of seats in the general election of 1988 and formed a coalition government in the Sindh Province with the help of MQM, which then had a larger mandate in urban Sindh in comparison to PPP whose majority of support came from rural areas of Sindh. A 59-point agreement, called the Karachi Accord, was signed which included statements about protection of the democratic system and political rights, urban development goals, and creating objective criteria for admission to universities and colleges. Within a few months of the agreement, differences surfaced and MQM ministers in the Sindh Cabinet resigned because the agreement was not implemented. Thus, the alliance broke up in October 1989 and MQM joined hands with PPP's opponents. During these times MQM made mark for public benefit initiatives. Khidmat-e-Khalq Committee, a social welfare initiative, was founded in 1978 which in 1998 transformed into Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation.1990 to 1999
In the elections of October 1990, MQM emerged as the third strongest party in the country. This time, it made its alliance with Islami Jamhoori Ittehad to establish a provincial government in Sindh whereas IJI formed the federal government. During these times, small factions of MQM separated themselves on the main body of the party, and the largest among these factions was MQM Haqiqi, which was formed by Afaq Ahmad and Amir Khan. It is was allegedly claimed that MQM Haqiqi was formed by the Sindh/Karachi Government to weaken MQM and was allegedly supported by them. In the following years, successive governments switched between forming alliances with MQM and fighting against it to establish greater control over Karachi.From 1992 to 1994, the MQM was the target of Operation Clean-up, The period is regarded as the bloodiest period in Karachi's history, with thousands MQM workers and supporters killed or gone missing. Although more than to years have passed since the alleged arrest or disappearance of MQM workers, families of the missing people are still hopeful after registering the cases in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The operation left thousands of people dead.
The violence gripped urban Sindh politics in the late 1980s after the end of President and Army Chief, General Zia-ul-Haq's era, and finally in 1992, the erstwhile government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif passed a resolution in assembly to launch an operation in Karachi to target 72 'big fishes'. The federal government gave the reasoning behind this operation, known as "Operation Clean-up", as the government's attempt to end terrorism in Karachi and to seize unauthorized arms. Operation Clean-Up, which ostensibly sought to eliminate all terrorists irrespective of their political affiliation, began in June 1992. MQM perceived this operation as an attempt to wipe out the party altogether. Political violence erupted while MQM organized protests and strikes. The resulting lawlessness prevailed in the largest metropolitan city of Pakistan, which led to the country's president dissolving the National Assembly.
During the 1992 violence Altaf Hussain left the country when a warrant was issued for him in connection with a murder. Since then, the political party is run by Mr Hussain from self-imposed exile in London.
MQM boycotted the subsequent 1993 general elections claiming organized military intimidation but participated in provincial elections. MQM secured 27 seats in provincial assembly, in comparison to its political rival PPP which won 56 seats. This resulted in PPP forming both the provincial and federal governments. Whereas, MQM Haqiqi failed to gain any seats at federal or provincial level. Political violence gained momentum in 1993 and 1994. During the 1994 violence, heavily political killings were reported between MQM, MQM factions, and Sindhi nationalist groups. By July 1995, more than 1,800 people had been assassinated in Karachi. In 1997, MQM boycotted the general elections and officially changed the previously maintained name "Muhajir Qaumi Movement" to "Muttahida Qaumi Movement".
Accusations of violence
In the mid-1990s, MQM created widespread political violence and militancy that affected Pakistan's Sindh province, particularly Karachi, the port city that is the country's commercial capital. In the mid-1990s, the U.S. State Department, Amnesty International, and others accused MQM-London and a rival faction, MQM-Haqiqi, of summary killings, torture, and other abuses. The MQM-A routinely denied involvement in violence.The party's use of extra-legal activities in conflicts with political opponents have led it to be accused of terrorism. The party's strongly hierarchical order and personalist leadership style led to some critics labelling the MQM as fascist.
Jinnahpur Conspiracy
During Operation Clean-up, MQM was accused of being anti-Pakistan and of planning a separatist break-away state, Jinnahpur. However, later some senior army officers, Brigadier Imtiaz and General Naseer Akhtar, confessed that Jinnahpur was "nothing but a drama" against MQM for the military operation and there was no map of Jinnahpur.On October 19, 1992, Pakistani newspapers carried an ISPR press release, conveying Army's denial of the knowledge of the Jinnahpur plan. The ISPR, the public relations arm of the Pakistan Army stated, "The Army had no evidence concerning the so-called Jinnahpur plan, it is clarified that the newspaper story in question is baseless. The Army has neither handed over to the government any document or map as reported, nor is it in possession of any evidence concerning the so-called Jinnahpur plan. It is also factually wrong that the matter was discussed at any meeting of the corps commander." Asif Zardari who was then President of Pakistan is said to have "said in a court premises in Karachi that the Jinnahpur scandal was created to malign the MQM."
2001 to present
In 2001, MQM boycotted the local body elections but in the 2002 general elections, MQM won 17 out of 272 seats in national assembly.In the 2008 elections, MQM won 25 seats in the National Assembly of Pakistan and 52 seats in the Provincial Assembly of Sindh.
In 2008, Foreign Policy released a Global Cities Index which named Mustafa Kamal as Mayor of the Moment, but Kamal gave all credit to Altaf Hussain.
In 2013, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement filed a Rs.5 billion defamation suit against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan at the Sindh High Court for issuing statements against MQM chief Altaf Hussain.
MQM has also been threatened by Pakistani Taliban.
In June 2014, the Metropolitan Police raided the London home of its leader, Altaf Hussain, on suspicion of money-laundering.
The party has won majority in the local government election of Karachi and Hyderabad and brought its mayor in Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. The mayor of Karachi, Wasim Akhtar has been put behind bars without any charge by anti terror court and is waiting Sindh High Court to grant him bail in order to resume his office as the mayor of Karachi. MQM has also brought its chairman and vice chairman in the municipal committee of fourth largest city of Sindh Mirpurkhas.