Altaf Hussain
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
A brief biography
Nov 19, 2019: The Times of India
WHO is Altaf Hussain Altaf Hussain is a British Pakistani fugitive and former politician who is known as the founder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
In the past, he is known to have taken a stand for advocacy for Muhajir (Muslims who migrated from India to Pakistan post Partition) interests in Pakistan, criticism of the partition of India, support for the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh, opposition to the Taliban, and respect for the line of control in the region of Jammu & Kashmir.
In 1992, he fled Pakistan for the UK after a crackdown against his party. Since then he is living in the United Kingdom. Since 2015, he has been a fugitive from the Anti-Terrorism Court of Pakistan on the charges of murder, targeted killings, treason, inciting violence and hate speeches.
Hussain is currently on strict bail conditions imposed by the court after the Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Command had charged him last month under Section 1(2) of the UK's Terrorism Act 2006 with encouraging terrorism.
At a procedural hearing at the Old Bailey court in London on November 1, Hussain's trial was fixed to begin in June next year, with a preliminary hearing scheduled in March 2020.
Why he is seeking asylum in India
Hussain in a speech dated November 9 urged PM Narendra Modi to grant him and his colleagues' asylum in India or at least some financial assistance to take his case to the International Court of Justice. Promising that he would not interfere in any politics, Hussain took to social media last week to relay a new speech in which he also welcomed the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya case.
“If India today, and Prime Minister Modi, allow me to come to India and provided me asylum with my colleagues, I am ready to come to India along with my colleagues because my grandfather is buried there, my grandmother is buried there; my thousands of relatives are buried there, in India. I want to go there, to their graves. I want to pray,” he said. In his plea to India, the MQM leader said his house and offices have been seized leaving him with no means to "fight for justice" against the Pakistani regime.
“If you don't provide us with shelter, give us some influential financial people to come and go to the international court. I have no money so you ask your people to pay the court fees, I will fight alone at the International Court of Justice for Baloch, Sindhis and Muhajirs and all other ethnic-religious minorities,” said Hussain.
Despite his promise to abstain from politics if he is granted asylum by New Delhi, Hussain, of late, has made several remarks on Indian politics.
On Supreme Court's Ayodhya verdict — "A Maulvi called Asaduddin Owaisi has said he does not accept the court ruling. They should go ahead and build a Babri Masjid on the land granted by the court instead of resorting to bloodshed,” he said, adding that the current Indian government has a right to establish a so-called “Hindu Raj”.
“As Pakistan has been created on the basis of Islam, you needn't live in Hindustan. Go and live in Pakistan, Maulana Asaduddin Owaisi,” he added.
On abrogation of Article 370 — Hussain makes references to India's revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir that gave special status to it and rebuked the Pakistan Army's “core commanders” for failing to do anything.
