Daily Times

It is about time that Altaf Hussain, the founder and the supreme leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), retires from active politics and allows someone else to lead the party. Maybe such fresh leadership will steer the MQM out of the crises that it faces on multiple levels both in-house and abroad. The party’s position is so bad that law enforcing agencies in the UK and Pakistan, which work independently and sometimes disjointedly, hound it like a common enemy, as if it were a virus that needs to be eradicated.
To be honest, Altaf Hussain should have given up a long time ago. Although the timing of his resignation can be debated, most people would agree that the murder of Dr Imran Farooq provided him the ideal window of opportunity to step down. Till then, at least he used to make some sense while delivering his telephonic addresses. But now it is a disaster. First of all, we cannot understand what he is saying since he sounds intoxicated all the time and, second, if we do understand the words, we feel ashamed of them because they are so improper and obscene. Personally, I do not allow my children to listen to his speeches let alone support his party or empathise with him. I hold the same views about the leader of the PTI, Imran Khan, who stands just a step behind Altaf Hussain in using indecent language. Having said that, I do not want to dwell on the timing of his departure anymore since we cannot reverse time.
What has made a bad situation worse is his alleged personal involvement in the murder of Dr Imran Farooq and his association with money laundering in the UK. It might have looked a little better if Altaf Hussain himself had not been implicated and a junior leader of the party had been accused. But that is not the case. Right now he attracts all the dirt and the party has been left in the midst of a crisis to clean up his mess or brush it off as a conspiracy against him, which is not true.
I must clarify that I do not want him to resign because I hold a personal grudge against him, or think he is not popular in Karachi, or that he is a traitor/terrorist. I believe his party still genuinely represents the majority of Urdu-speaking people (Mohajirs), a perceived vulnerable ethnic minority. Years ago, Altaf Hussain, being a migrant himself, understood the concerns of his community well and, through his personal charisma and organisational skills, he was able to unite the Mohajirs under the umbrella of his party. Over time, he has lost that charm. Indeed, every time he tries to galvanise his supporters now, he stirs up a new controversy or sparks a new, yet unnecessary debate, subjecting the MQM to losing a few more votes. No political party can survive that kind of onslaught on its reputation, especially if it is hurled by its own leader. Some day, ordinary folks will get tired of the whole situation and withdraw their support.
Trust me, when I talk about the reputation of the MQM being tarnished, I am not talking about its approval ratings in Punjab or interior Sindh. There, we already know, its popularity always stay at the bottom and cannot sink anymore. What is the point of describing that? In fact, when I discuss the reputation of the MQM, I am referring to its appeal within the Urdu-speaking community, which has been looking around to find an alternate platform for many years. We can see that attitude during the last elections when a significant number of migrants, disappointed by the party’s performance, voted for Imran Khan. If that trend continues or if the party splits into small groups, which is a very likely possibility, the MQM will not be able to hold its dominance in the largest city of Pakistan, a loss that both Altaf Hussain and the Urdu-speaking population may not want to bear.
The question is if and how we can avoid this loss. The answer to the first part of the question is yes. I do believe the party can be rescued from Altaf Hussain but it cannot be done without his consent and approval. He has to play an important role in the recovery process. The answer to the second part is much more difficult. This is how I think it can be done though. First, as a matter of principle, Altaf Hussain should let the party vote to pick its own leader for the next five years. That will not be a difficult task for a party like the MQM, since it is so well structured. He can start by setting a date for intra-party elections. As the supreme leader, he must oversee the exercise himself, making sure the elections are not rigged. Sure, there will be some irregularities. We cannot avoid them and so must accept that as part of the deal. However, a well-organised exercise can help the party choose a legitimate successor to Altaf Hussain. Once that has been done, Altaf Hussein can hand over the authority to the elected candidate himself and leave the public eye. As I have said earlier, he must set a tenure limit for the incoming leadership and ensure that the process of timely and recurrent elections continues after him.
I have discussed with many MQM supporters and workers about the various options. To my surprise, they agree on both recommendations: first, to let Altaf Hussain go and, second, to conduct intra-party elections. They believe it is the only way the party can be resurrected.

The writer is a US-based freelance columnist. He tweets at @KaamranHashmi and can be reached at skamranhashmi@gmail.com