The Altaf Hussain cult

[Slog]

I don’t think you remotely understand Pakistani politics or Altaf Bhai’s influence if you’re for a second comparing him to guys like Fawad Chaudhry or Fayyaz ul Chauhan.

Altaf Being on this show as a panelist (not even one on one interview) is like Bal Thackeray being on Arnabs show with other random panelists. It was almost weird for me to see a random nobody from Pakistan shouting at Altaf and calling him a rat on his face considering Altaf till only few years ago is known to have order hitmen on people who have said much much less about him. That just shows how much he has fallen.

I don’t know how to explain but I’m sure the Karachi people here will understand.

It just feels surreal and scarcely believable to see him in such a helpless state.

 

[DeadBall]

I don’t know how to explain but I’m sure the Karachi people here will understand.

It just feels surreal and scarcely believable to see him in such a helpless state.

It's the drugs/medication and mental disintegration. The guy is not of sound mind anymore. He's just a rambling, incoherent mess of a man now.

 

[Syed1]

It's the drugs/medication and mental disintegration. The guy is not of sound mind anymore. He's just a rambling, incoherent mess of a man now.

Should be brought back to Pakistan and made to pay for his crimes.

 

[DeadBall]

Should be brought back to Pakistan and made to pay for his crimes.

I doubt he will even know what's going on and will probably die bleating. My father was a big supporter of MQM and Saleem Shehzad used to often our house in Dubai because he was a partner in one of my father's businesses (Al Aswad rice if I remember correctly) but later they had a falling out when it came to light that he was using it to launder money.

I remember "collecting" the khaals from our areas in Karachi (Gulistan e Jauhar area at the time) during Bakra Eid as a kid for Altaf "bhai", little did I know that it was going to generate tens of millions for the party and the mafia.

 

[Knight_Rider]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTVBNUwYxCw

What a fall from Grace

From addressing millions of people in a rally and shutting down a city at a moment's call to becoming a rent a quote guest on Arnab Goswami's show.

So whoever appear on Arnab Godwami’s show has fallen from grace?

As for AH, he has gone mentally insane now. So its a pity that he is being misused by the opportunistic Goswami. But having said that Altaf in his day was the true leader of Muhajirs and a representative of ordinary common men (unlike most other political parties of pakistan). He challenged the status quo and military hegemony in Pakistan, which is why he was targeted from very beginning and made to leave the country. Right now after his departure (and mental incapacity) the whole Muhajir community is without a proper leadership and under Army’s censorship & control. Hopefully some new and charismatic leader will show up sooner or later.

 

[Slog]

So whoever appear on Arnab Godwami’s show has fallen from grace?

Yes.

Especially in his case he used to close down the biggest city in the country on a whim and now he is having to share being a panelist with random people who are calling him a rat. Few years ago the person who called him a rat would’ve likely been done with by the end of the night if he had the courage to do so

 

[Knight_Rider]

Ok, each to their own. Its not a big deal in my opinion.

I actually, agree with quite a bit of what AH says. Its just that he has gone a bit nuts, so cant always make a comprehensive logical arguments in longer conversations. Listen to some of his old speeches on YouTube and you will see what I mean. Its actually a bit low of Goswami to misuse AH’s incapacity this way.

 

[Nostalgic]

I remember "collecting" the khaals from our areas in Karachi (Gulistan e Jauhar area at the time) during Bakra Eid as a kid for Altaf "bhai", little did I know that it was going to generate tens of millions for the party and the mafia.

Cue the circumcision jokes...

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://www.geo.tv/latest/351325-mqm-founder-altaf-hussains-terror-speech-trial-next-year-in-uk

Muttahida Qaumi Movement founder Altaf Hussain will go on trial in January next year at the UK's Kingston Crown Court for allegedly using hate speech and encouraging an act of terrorism.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed to Geo News that Hussain’s trial will start on January 31, 2022 and last for about three weeks.

The MQM founder had sought to delay his trial indefinitely, citing serious health issues and COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, sources said.

The CPS confirmed that Hussain’s trial had been postponed twice before because of the pandemic and his own health issues.

The MQM leader spent nearly a month in Barnet Hospital from mid-December last year to January 12, 2021 after being taken in an ambulance for suffering "serious" COVID-19 symptoms.

After returning home, Hussain fell ill again a week later and spent a week in the hospital. His doctors had told the court he suffered from a severe form of infection in multiple organs along with pneumonia.

Since the last three months, the MQM founder has been doing well and has made several live speeches to his followers on social media.

Hussain’s last court appearance, virtually, was at the Old Bailey around a year ago where his lawyer told Justice May DBE that the MQM supremo didn’t approve of the editorial stance by Geo News when he ordered his workers in August 2016 to attack several media houses in the port city of Karachi.

His lawyer, Joel Bennathan, had told the court that Hussain was upset and agitated at the way three major news channels had censored his speeches and didn’t provide him coverage prior to the infamous August 16, 2016 address, which ultimately led to the unraveling of his party and politics.

At that hearing, Hussain’s lawyer had applied for the complete dismissal of the hate speech charges against his client, but his application was dismissed.

Hussain’s lawyer said that the MQM founder had made the speech only for “political purposes”, didn’t encourage terrorism and didn’t mean to do anything violent, damage properties, intimidate opponents or any state institution or media house.

Hussain, 67, has been charged under the Terrorism Act, 2006 on suspicion of intentionally encouraging or assisting offences contrary to Section 44 of the Serious Crime Act, 2007.

UK authorities launched the investigations into the matter after an FIR was lodged in Karachi naming the MQM leader as the instigator.

 

[gazza619]

Does anyone know whats he up to these days?

Haven't heard about him on any platforms for a while.

 

[saeedhk]

Does anyone know whats he up to these days?

Haven't heard about him on any platforms for a while.

In a recent video, he was seen mopping his UK house garden and asking followers to send hime money.

 

[gazza619]

In a recent video, he was seen mopping his UK house garden and asking followers to send hime money.

How peaceful.

 

[Kianig89]

Altaf Hussain lambasts SS and AZ in particular , sympathizes with Aleema Khan for fighting IK's cause.

 

[Farhan The Man]

mamooli qeeray makoray

A popular phrase in karachi back in the day. To describe this terrorist group.

Bhayaas should have stayed back in bihar and UP. In their abao ajdad ki havelian.

 

[Ball Blazer]

MQM founder Altaf Hussain hospitalised in London

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain has been admitted to a hospital in North London after experiencing multiple health issues, including cardiac-related stress.

Hussain’s party officials told Geo News that Hussain was taken to the hospital on Thursday due to severe illness, where various tests were conducted.

“The doctors decided to admit him to the hospital for further treatment,” said senior London-based MQM leader Mustafa Azizabadi.

Qasim Ali Raza, Deputy Convener MQM Central Coordination Committee said on Friday: “Today, doctors at a local hospital in London examined Mr Altaf Hussain, prescribed various diagnostic tests including blood tests, ECG, CT scan, X-ray and ultrasound.

Mr Altaf Hussain has long been suffering from severe emotional stress. Doctors also recommended a blood transfusion for his treatment and blood has been transfused.

Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1327812-mqm-founder-altaf-hussain-hospitalised-in-london

 

[BouncerGuy]

MQM founder Altaf Hussain hospitalised again in London

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain was hospitalised again in London on Friday after falling ill.

In a post on the party’s X account, it said: “The health of MQM founder and leader Altaf Hussain has deteriorated again, after which he has been taken to a local hospital. According to details released by the MQM Central Information Department, on Friday, Altaf Hussain’s health worsened again.

“Immediate medical attention was sought, and an ambulance was called. The doctor promptly dispatched a medical emergency team. The emergency team initially examined Altaf Hussain at his residence, after which he was shifted to a local hospital for further examination and treatment.”

The MQM Coordination Committee appealed to all workers and the public to pray for his recovery.

MQM London-based senior party leader Mustafa Azizabadi also confirmed the development on a post on X.

Hussain was hospitalised in London last month due to “severe illness”, where he underwent multiple tests.

Previously known as the Mohajir Qaumi Movement, Hussain founded his party in 1984 to represent the Urdu-speaking community, which had migrated to Pakistan amid Partition.

Under Hussain’s leadership, MQM swept the 1988 election in Sindh’s urban areas, emerging as the third-largest party in the country.

The MQM under Hussain was accused of using violent tactics to attain and retain political power. On the contrary, Hussain maintained that the state and other political parties have targeted MQM and its workers ever since its formation.

Hussain currently lives in London, where he has been in self-imposed exile since 1992. He was later granted British citizenship. From London, Hussain played an active role in politics, regularly broadcasting political speeches to his followers in Karachi.

He was in the intensive care unit at a hospital in Britain, apparently after contracting Covid-19 in February 2021.

Hussain was born on September 17, 1953, in Karachi. He obtained his early education at a public school in Karachi’s Azizabad neighbourhood, a middle-class locality in Karachi where he spent his early years and his youth. He later enrolled at the University of Karachi to study Pharmacy and graduated from the programme in 1979.

His political career began during his student years in KU when he and Azeem Ahmed Tariq founded the All-Pakistan Mohajir Students Organisation (APMSO).

Formed in 1978, APMSO gained a massive following within a short period of time.

In the early 1990s, the MQM chief went into exile as the government at the time conducted an operation in Karachi.

Viewed as the man who controlled Karachi from London, Hussain came under fire in May 2013 for his televised speech across Pakistan, where he allegedly demanded the separation of Karachi from the rest of Pakistan if the public mandate of his party was not acceptable to the ‘establishment’. The party later clarified, saying it was taken out of context.

However, the final undoing of the MQM, as it was known, came after Hussain delivered an incendiary speech in August 2016 in which he not only raised slogans against Pakistan but also called the country “a cancer for the entire world”. Hours after the speech, MQM workers had attacked the ARY News office in Karachi.

Authorities launched a crackdown following the speech and the MQM’s Karachi headquarters and Hussain’s residence in Azizabad were sealed. Later, Hussain’s own party leaders in Pakistan distanced themselves from him and omitted his name from the party constitution.

In October 2019, Hussain was charged with “encouraging terrorism” by British police over his speech. He was also arrested in the case earlier in 2019 but was released on bail.

After deliberations that spanned three days, a 12-member jury had returned a majority verdict in Rex (crown) versus Altaf Hussain in February 2022, acquitting the MQM founder on two counts of ‘encouraging terrorism’.

The jury found Hussain not guilty on both counts of encouraging terrorism, contrary to section 1(2) of the UK’s Terrorism Act 2006.

MQM founder Altaf Hussain hospitalised again in London

MQM Coordination Committee appeals to all workers and public to pray for his recovery.

www.dawn.com

 

[Suleiman]

Whoever puts this evil dog down deserves the highest national award