MQM, Act Two

Can a unified MQM shed its tarnished past and rise to meet the needs of urban Sindh?

The merger of at least two dissident factions of the erstwhile MQM into the mainstream Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) appears within the realm of possibility, if not probability now, underlining the fast changing matrix of urban Sindh’s political scene.

Governor Sindh Kamran Tessori, who is still seen as an outsider by many MQM veterans, has emerged as the symbolic face behind efforts aimed at reuniting the party which once undisputedly ruled Karachi and Hyderabad. Sceptics notwithstanding, Tessori enjoys the blessings of some MQM stalwarts who realise the importance of unity given the poor showing of their mainstream party as well as its dissident factions in the 2018 general elections and in the recent round of by-polls.

Tessori had already held a series of meetings with his friend, Dr. Farooq Sattar, head of the MQM Restoration Committee, and Mustafa Kamal of the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP), in his bid to bring them back into the MQM fold. Following his meetings with these dissidents, the Convener of the MQM-P, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, also had meetings with these estranged leaders, triggering hopes that the MQM-P would soon be able to put up a united front in urban Sindh’s politics.

However, the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) of Afaq Ahmed is not part of these efforts to reunite. The reason: Afaq Ahmed does not want to give up the word ‘Mohajir’ from the name of the party.

Altaf Hussain, the party’s founder, whose supporters work under the banner of MQM-London, is also not part of this move. According to sources within the MQM-P, the PSP and Farooq Sattar’s faction, there is a unanimity in the ranks of all three that Altaf Hussain now has no role to play in the affairs of the MQM because of his controversial past and unacceptability to the establishment.

The MQM’s rivals see efforts to relaunch a united MQM aimed at undermining the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) which emerged as the dominant political player in Karachi in the 2018 elections. Although the MQM-P alleged that a number of seats were “stolen” away from it in those elections, the popularity of former premier Imran Khan among Karachi’s educated lower and middle classes, professionals and working classes is an undisputed fact. And now the PTI as well as the Jamaat-e-Islami – the MQM’s traditional rival – have accused the establishment of supporting the efforts aimed at uniting the MQM.

While in politics, there is no single factor which works as the main catalyst behind any development or lack of it, background interviews show that internal compulsions and the poor response from onetime diehard MQM supporters and voters played a key role in forcing the leadership to realise the importance of unity. “The MQM, the PSP, Farooq Sattar and Afaq Ahmed’s party, all performed poorly in the recent by-elections in Karachi,” admitted a senior MQM lawmaker in the National Assembly. And this was a rude awakening for the party. To cite one example of this, were the results of the NA-245 by-election, where a little-known PTI local leader, Mehmood Maulvi, won by a huge margin, even though he had already announced he would not join the National Assembly in line with party policy. In the election, the PTI secured 29,475 votes against the combined tally of 18,923 votes bagged by the MQM-P, Farooq Sattar himself, the Mohajir Qaumi Movement and the PSP. The MQM-P and its factions also had a bad run in other by-polls, and even in Korangi – once seen as a stronghold of Mohajir politics — the mainstream party won against the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan by a razor-thin margin.

“We realise the gravity of the situation,” added the MQM lawmaker, requesting anonymity. “Our workers and supporters remain unhappy about all the mudslinging the MQM-P and its dissidents do against one another. If I hold a meeting of say 300 supporters in my constituency, the next day Mustafa Kamal will address the same set of people and maybe 100 of them will go home disillusioned and disgruntled… The next day, Farooq Sattar will go there and maybe another 100 will feel the same way… These disgruntled workers won’t join the PSP or Farooq Sattar, but they will not remain active members of our group … this has been happening with us again and again,” he said, underlining the dilemma for his party.

Farooq Sattar, who has been trying to reunite the MQM for a long time, said that wherever he went in Karachi, he heard only one refrain from the workers: “unite.”

But MQM-P sources say that there are some leaders within the party who are unhappy about the move to bring everyone under one organisational umbrella given their past role.

Governor Kamran Tessori, in his brief remarks to Bol News, said that there is a need for unity and harmony not just within the MQM, but within the ranks of all the political forces. Those opposing the move of a united MQM don’t realise that their party will end up as a loser if they remain divided, he contended.

The MQM lawmaker said that the basis of the talks for a merger is a consensus on the point that the name and flag of the party will remain unchanged, and that all those rejoining the party accept the leadership of Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui as the MQM convener.

However, the move of relaunching a united MQM has raised concerns not just among its traditional political rivals but among many Karachiites who remain wary of the party, remembering only too well how it used violence, murder and general strikes to dominate the city and crush dissent.

According to background interviews with the government and security officials as well as MQM leaders, however, the days when the party resorted to violence and high-handed actions are over.

“The MQM will have to operate as a law-abiding, democratic party,” according to a senior security official. “There is also a realisation within MQM ranks that the politics of violence only proved damaging for the city as well as for their own party.” But a united MQM does not mean that it will automatically be able to attain its past glory. Uniting is the first step, but the real challenge will start after that. In the past, the MQM’s absolute dominance in the city was the result of its ethnic politics, but these are in essence divisive and contentious.

Also, Karachi has changed demographically, politically and socially over the years. The foremost challenge for the MQM will be what narrative and political agenda it presents to the people of this city. Reviving the politics of the 1980s and 1990s, or even of the 2000s, is next to impossible. Not only has the city metamorphosed, but today the educated lower-middle, and middle-class, as well as well-heeled professionals and upper middle-class people want a party which is modern and progressive in its outlook.

The working class, the middle-class, professionals and even traders and businesspeople want the rule of law so they can live in peace and thrive. Any future dominant political force of Karachi has to be multi-ethnic which can unite the people on the basis of their shared problems and aspirations. The MQM or any other party, including the PTI, the PPP, the Jamaat-e-Islami or a new force which can come up with an agenda of unity in a 21st century environment would capture the imagination of Karachiites. The rise of the PTI in Karachi in the 2013 and 2018 general elections underlined this yearning for change among the people. That yearning has only intensified with the passage of time as the traditional Pakistani politicians have continued to disappoint their voters again and again.

Is this going to change anytime soon? Yes, all the objective conditions are there. The people are ready for a change for the better. The only question is whether the politicians are ready to lead.

A peaceful, stable and modern Karachi would prove an economic powerhouse. It has the potential to change not just the face of Sindh, but transform Pakistan. The only factor lacking is the commitment and vision of the politicians. Can they rise beyond their narrow self-interest and play for the country’s largest city? This question unfortunately, has no easy answers.