Altaf Hussain - Political Involvement

Political Involvement

Altaf Hussain was politically active from a very young age. While attending Karachi University, on 11 June 1978, Hussain founded the “All Pakistan Mohajir Student Organization” APMSO. This day is celebrated as APMSO foundation day. The APMSO was formed as a student rights group campaigning for the rights of Muhajir students at Karachi University. It later gave birth to the Muhajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) on 18 March 1984, which afterward transformed into Muttahida Qaumi Movement on 26 June 1997. Before creating the APMSO, Hussain served as General Secretary and later as President of the National Student’s Action Committee at Karachi University.

The Pakistani government launched Operation Clean-up in 1992 and sent the military into Karachi to crack down on the MQM. Hussain escaped Karachi one month before the operation began because of an attack on his life on 21 December 1991. Hussain fled to London and applied for political asylum.

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