MQM founder Altaf Hussain’s daughter set to join Pakistani politics

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain has started preparations to send his daughter, Afzaa Altaf from London to Karachi, where she is set to enter the political arena.

Afzaa, who completed her education in London, decided to join politics on behalf of her father. She is expected to contest elections from Altaf Hussain’s native constituency in Azizabad.

According to sources, she will be joining MQM-Pakistan and her arrival in Pakistan will be formally announced by the party.

Afzaa is anticipated to receive a warm welcome upon her arrival in the country.

While the exact date of her return has not yet been confirmed by MQM Pakistan, she is expected to land in the upcoming months.

Altaf Hussain has been living in self-imposed exile in London since 1992, citing threats to his life in Pakistan.

His party members in Karachi disowned him in the wake of mounting pressure and a crackdown by state institutions after he made a controversial speech on August 22, 2015, criticising the “enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings” of MQM workers.

During the speech, Hussain called Pakistan a “cancer for the entire world,” which was widely condemned by political parties and state institutions. 

Following his speech, MQM workers engaged in violent acts and attempted to attack two private media channels mentioned by Altaf Hussain in his speech.

In response, the Lahore High Court (LHC) imposed a ban on broadcasting his images and speeches across all electronic and print media. 

His party subsequently split into factions, one that disassociated from him to form MQM-Pakistan and another, his loyalists, forming MQM-London.

Altaf Hussain’s once-strong grip over Karachi’s political landscape has since weakened, and his attempts to reconcile with the establishment and resume his political activities have yet to materialise.