Hussein was a student leader in Karachi when he entered politics. A pharmacist by education, his career received a boost when he was backed by General Zia-ul-Haq, who used him to divide the polity of Sindh. Subsequently, the Mohajir Quami Movement had a major confrontation with the Pakistan Army, when Hussein's supporters killed a senior army officer. Eventually, the unbearable political pressure and attempts on his life forced him to flee the country.

By articulating the woes of Mohajirs, Hussein has built up a formidable front that which is sharing federal power and in Sindh. Lately, he changed his party's name to the Muttahida Quami Movement to enlarge its vote bank. His equation with the army has also changed after he opted to side with General Pervez Musharraf.

My party has an organisational structure divided into centre, sectors, zones and units. I talk to them collectively. At all times I remain in contact with my central committee. Now some Sindhis, Baluchis, Pashtuns and even Hindus have joined the MQM. At last, my message is going across other communities as well.

How is life in exile?

I miss my people. When I address them from London, I get totally engrossed. I feel as if I am standing in front of them and addressing them. I get completely lost. Once my speech is over, I regret I am not with my people. I wish I could speak to them as before. But no struggle is easy. It always asks for sacrifice.

I am fighting against the ongoing medieval feudal system of Pakistan. I want to establish the rule of the middle and poor classes who are suffering everyday and are burdened with hundreds of problems. Ours is the only party that has emerged from the grass-root level.  PAKISTAN'S PROBLEMS HAVE LESS TO DO WITH FEUDALISM AND MORE TO DO WITH AN ALL POWERFUL ARMY. THE MIDDLE CLASS OFFICERS LIKE MUSHARAF AND ZIA HAVE USED THE ARMY TO INSTALL MILITARY OLIGARCHIC RULE. IT IS SHEER HYPOCRICY OF ALTAF TO SAY HE BELIEVES IN RULE BY MIDDLE CLASSES AND POOR CLASSES. HE BELIEVES IN RULE OF HOODLUMS WHO ABUSE THE RULE OF LAW AND CRUSH THE HUMAN, SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC RIGHTS OF THE MIDDLE AND POOR CLASSES. ALTAF'S SOLE PURPOSE IS TO DESTABILISE DEMOCRACY AND PAVE THE WAY FOR MILITARY RULE. 

Why did you leave your country? Was it under pressure from the Pakistan army?

No, no. Before 1992, several attempts were made to eliminate me. A hand grenade was thrown at me. After that my central committee members requested me to go abroad and guide them from outside. After I left, in June 1992, the army started an operation in Sindh, including in Karachi, to finish the MQM leadership. More than 15,000 leaders, workers, office bearers and relatives of MQM members were extra-judicially executed.

Nasir Hussein, my 66 year old elder brother who was a retired civil servant and my nephew who was an engineer and just 28 years old, were arrested by the paramilitary rangers and police. They were tortured for three days. On December 9, 1995, they were assassinated. They were neither members of any political group nor part of MQM.  ALTAF SLOGAN IS THAT THOSE WHO BETRAY THE "QUAID ALTAF" DESERVE DEATH. HE ASKS HIS FOLLOWERS TO SELL TV SETS AND BUY GUNS. HIS GOONS ASSASSINATED THOUSANDS IN KARACHI INCLUDING THE BROTHER OF THE FORMER CM AND HIS OWN FORMER SUPPORTERS KILLED. NASIR HUSSAIN, THE SON OF THE WOMAN ALTAF'S FATHER MARRIED (WHO HAD HER OWN CHILDREN FROM A PREVIOUS MARRIAGE INCLUDING NASIR) WAS KILLED IN THE RANDOM VIOLENCE OF THE CITY. IT IS EVEN POSSIBLE THAT ALTAF HAD NASIR, WHO WAS NO BLOOD RELATION OF HIS, KILLED TO DETRACT ATTENTION FROM THE MURDER OF THE REAL BROTHER OF THE CM.  THE REAL BROTHER OF THE PM WAS ALSO KILLED IN KARACHI THE CITY INFILTRATED BY TERRORISTS OF ALTAF.

Because I was in London they wanted to break my resolve. In collaboration with the army, Benazir Bhutto who was then prime minister was executing my workers extra-judicially. It was the thinking of Bhutto and the army that if they kill my relatives I'll ask for mercy. I didn't. I didn't.  TO DETRACT ATTENTION FROM HIS SPEECHES AND CALLS FOR STRIKES THAT ENDED IN SCORES OF PEOPLE BEING KILLED IN ONE DAY, ALTAF CONCOCTED THE LIE THAT THE PPP GOVT HAD MQM WORKERS EXTRA JUDICIALLY KILLED. MANY COMMITTEES WERE SET UP TO PROBE THIS WHEN ALTAF JOINED THE GOVERNMENT. THEY COULD NOT FIND ONE CASE OF EXTRA JUDICIAL MURDER OF AN MQM WORKER. THE ONLY EXTRA JUDICIAL MURDERS THAT TOOK PLACE WERE OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS AND WORKERS OF PARTIES THAT ALTAF  CONSIDERED A THREAT TO HIS FEUDAL DREAM TO TURN KARACHI INTO HIS FIEFDOM. ALTAF ALSO KILLED OFF POLICE OFFICERS THAT TRIED TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE OF KARACHI FROM HIS TERRORISM, EXTORTION AND OTHER CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES.  

Isn't it true that you were quite close to General Zia who helped you in your early career?

Zia was so close to me that in 1997, during his martial law regime he arrested me and put me behind bars. His summary military court sentenced me to nine months of rigorous imprisonment and five lashes a day! You can judge how much we loved each other!  ALTAF WAS SENTENCED FOR BURNING THE PAKISTAN FLAG IN THE SEVENTIES UNDER ZIA. AFTER THAT HE CRUMBLED BEFORE THE ZIA ELEMENTS AND STARTED TO WORK FOR THEM. THE CREATION OF MQM UNDER ALTAF BY ZIA'S MILITARY LOYALISTS WAS DISCLOSED BY FORMER  CHIEF MINISTER GHOUS ALI SHAH. IT WAS DURING SHAH'S TENURE IN 1986 THAT ZIA DECIDED TO CREATE MQM TO OFFSET THE POPULARITY OF BENAZIR BHUTTO WHO LIVES IN MULTI ETHNIC KARACHI AND WHOM KARACHITES CONSIDER THEIR OWN.

How and why did you pick up the cause of Mohajirs?

First, I formed a student body and then converted it into a political party. I had observed the discrimination that Muslims who had migrated from India faced in Pakistan. I came across many stories of victimisation. When my own friends suffered I felt this is too much. Nobody was raising a voice. I had to accept the challenge to raise my voice for the rights of Mohajirs. We are also citizens of Pakistan. We want equal treatment and a life of dignity. We had a confrontation with an organisation called the Sons of Islam. It was a religious body. They kicked us out of the education institution at gunpoint.

Like you, Benazir Bhutto is also in exile. Do you meet her? Have you overcome your differences?

Please don't compare me to her. She is a feudal lady. Her politics is to gain power, power, power. She raised the Taleban. And lives only for power.  MOHTARMA WAS BORN IN A FEUDAL HOME AS WAS HER FATHER. FATHER AND DAUGHTER GAVE UP A FEUDAL LIFE STYLE FOR ONE OF HARDSHIP AND SUFFERING FOR THE CAUSE OF THE EXPLOITED AND OPPRESSED PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN. ALTAF, ON THE OTHER HAND, ASPIRES FOR AND IS ENVIOUS OF MS BHUTTO'S BACKGROUND. HE WANTS TO BE A FEUDAL PRINCE AND TREAT KARACHI AS HIS PRIVATE JAGIR. HENCE HE JOINED UP WITH ZIA MILITARY HARDLINERS (THE GOD FATHERS OF THE RELIGIOUS MILITANTS)  TO CREATE A TERRORIST WING OF MQM THAT HAS MADE THE STREETS OF KARACHI FLOW WITH THE BLOOD OF INNOCENTS.  

How is your equation with the UK and the United States?

Neither do they support me, nor do they go against me. I appreciate that the British government has provided me a place to live.

Why have you become a British citizen?

Five years ago I applied for the renewal of my passport to the Pakistani high commissioner in the UK. Till today I am waiting [for it]. If they renew my passport and consider me a patriotic Pakistani, I'll certainly consider going back to Pakistan.

The Pakistan Army which persecuted you so much is now supported by you. Isn't it a political shortcut?

We haven't deviated from our demand for democracy in Pakistan. But one has to see the circumstances and situations and then decide. When General Musharraf took over power after removing Nawaz Sharif, we didn't support Musharraf. We have hardly any options now. After 9/11 the political scenario of the world has changed completely. In Pakistan there are forces represented by religious fanatics and suicidal jihadis, on the other hand there is General Pervez Musharraf!  ALTAF ALWAYS SUPPORTED MILITARY DICTATORSHIP AND PAVED THE WAY FOR THE SAME. THE PEOPLE WHO CREATED MQM MUST HAVE TOLD ALTAF TO SUPPORT MUSHARAF WHICH HE WILL UNTIL THEY TELL HIM TO DUMP HIM.  

We had only two choices -- either to choose the mullahs or Musharraf. We chose, not happily, you might say (pauses)... a lesser evil. At that time we saw that Musharraf is a liberal person. He is taking action against the religious fanaticism of Al Qaeda. We would not like to go with anyone in vardi (uniform) but we had no choice. We chose the liberal General instead of the religious fanatics.  HE COULD HAVE CHOSEN THE THIRD PATH OF JOINING THE ARD BUT HE WANTED THE CHOICE IN PAKISTAN TO BE BETWEEN MILITARY DICTATORSHIP OR RELIGIOUS RULE. THIS IS THE CHOICE THAT THE ESTABLISHMENT WANTS TO PRESENT TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.  

Why don't you go back to Pakistan?

My party is against religious fanaticism. We are liberals and democratic. On one hand, we have against us feudalists who are against democracy in Pakistan and on the other hand religious fanatics and mullahs have issued fatwas against me and my party. They have alleged that my party is the party of infidels and kafirs. They alleged that we are the agents of India and America and we are agents of non-Muslims.

But why don't you fight head-on with your opponents?

My life is threatened by feudals who are in collaboration with army generals on one side and on the other side by religious people, jihadis, Taleban and Al Qaeda who are well equipped with lethal weapons and explosives.

The army, feudals and mullahs are a troika in Pakistan who have all the power. The troika is against me. You know well that two serious attempts were made to assassinate General Musharraf. Another attempt was made with the help of a suicide bomber to assassinate Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Also, the corps commander of the Pakistan army deputed in Karachi was targeted. The life of the chief of army staff and president, prime minister and corp commander is not safe over there.

I have no army to fight back. The MQM is a democratic party, we don't believe in violence. We believe in gaining power through the electoral process. We have been gaining seats since the elections of 1988.  MQM UNDER ALTAF HAS A TERRORIST WING DEDICATED TO ASSASSINATION AND TERRORISM. HE DOES NOT BELIEVE IN DEMOCRACY OR THE RULE OF LAW. HIS PARTY IS THE INFORMAL WING OF THE ESTABLISHMENT. HE HAS ALWAYS SIDED WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT EXCEPT UNDER GENERAL ASIF NAWAZ WHO GAVE THE GREEN SIGNAL FOR THE ARMY OPERATION AGAINST MQM WHEN IT GREW TOO BIG FOR ITS BOOTS.