The relationship between the MQM & PPP

Pakistan: The relationship between the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), particularly in the southern province of Sindh; political violence between the PPP and the MQM (January 2000 to July 2003)

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)

According to Political Parties of the World, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was founded in 1981 (2002, 362). However, the Europa World Year Book 2002 says that it was originally founded in 1978 as the All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organisation (Europa World Year Book 2002 2002, 3107). Its name changed to Mohajir Qaumi Movement in 1984 and then to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in 1997 (ibid.).

A United States (US) congressional report on Pakistan's political situation describes the MQM as "a regional party mainly comprised of the descendants of pre-partition immigrants (Muhajirs) from what is now India who are almost wholly found in Sindhi urban centers" (US 19 June 2003, 4).

In 1992, the MQM split into two factions: MQM(A) led by Altaf Hussain and MQM(H) led by Afaq Ahmed and Aamir Khan, both of whom had been "top members of MQM's armed wing" (SATP n.d.a). Both factions had been responsible for incidents of urban terrorism, but after "a series of strong measures taken by the State in 1998, the MQM(A) has largely reoriented itself into a exclusively political outfit" (ibid.). For additional information, please refer to the attachments by the South Asia Terrorism Portal, a project maintained by the New Delhi-based non-governmental organization, Institute for Conflict Management (ibid.n.d.b.).

In 1992, Altaf Hussain left Pakistan for the United Kingdom (SATP n.d.a), where in 2000 he was reported to still live as the leader in exile of the MQM(A) (AFP 10 Dec. 2000).

In 2002, MQM(A) formed a coalition in Sindh with the "pro-Musharraf" Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) after the October 2002 national elections (AFP 16 Dec. 2002; US 19 June 2003, 4).

The Pakistan People's Party

Founded in 1967 (Political Parties of the World 2002 2002, 363; Europa World Year Book 20022002, 3107), the PPP is a national party (ACCORD May 2001, 4) that advocates "Islamic socialism, democracy and a non-aligned foreign policy" (Europa World Year Book 2002 2002, 3107). It is led by Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister (BBC 12 Dec. 2002) who had been "forced to lead her Pakistan People's Party (PPP) from abroad after going into voluntary exile before being condemned to five years in jail for corruption in 1998" (AFP 10 Dec. 2000). According to the US congressional report, Bhutto has been convicted of corruption in absentia three times (19 June 2003, 3).

The Relationship Between MQM and PPP in the Province of Sindh

There are four provincial assemblies in Pakistan, one of which is in the province of Sindh (BBC 12 Dec. 2002). During the October 2002 Sindh elections, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) both succeeded in winning seats in the assembly (ibid.). Although the PPP "has the largest single block of seats in the assembly, with 67 out of the 163 seats," it is in the minority (ibid.). The MQM holds 41 assembly seats (ibid.). The PPP is popular in the rural areas of Sindh (PN 30 Jan. 2002; PNS 29 Oct. 2002) while the MQM dominates the urban areas in the province (ibid.; BBC 12 Dec. 2002).

The MQM and PPP are rivals (BBC 16 Nov. 1998). According to the Pakistan Newswire, the MQM is a "strong rival" of the PPP in the Karachi and Hyderabad urban centres of Sindh (30 Jan. 2002); an editorial in Dawn describes the two parties as "mortal enemies" harbouring "extreme hostility ... against each other" (9 Dec. 2002).

The PPP has worked with the MQM as a partner in Sindh, but the party has "bitter memories of parting ways with the MQM" (ibid. 12 Oct. 2002a). Likewise, the MQM also has "bitter-sweet memories" of its association with the PPP (ibid.).

However, the following are occasions at which the two parties have come together:

– July 2000: After a Nationality Accountability Bureau (NAB) court found MQM leader, Farooq Sattar, guilty of having misused his authority while minister for the local government in Sindh and sentenced him to 14 years in prison (HRW Oct. 2000), the PPP criticized the conviction (Dawn 19 July 2002). Stating that it was a "'miscarriage of justice,'" the PPP said that it was "'putting aside its political differences with the MQM'" in criticizing the court's verdict to uphold "'the principle of justice, rule of law and human dignity ...'" (ibid. 19 July 2000).

– August 2000: The PPP and MQM are both members of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) – which in late 2000 became the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) – a coalition formed to bring to an end the military regime and restore democracy (AFP 10 Dec. 2000). (Please refer to PAK38713.E of 25 March 2002 for additional information on the ARD). In August 2000, members of both parties attended a meeting of the GDA (Business Recorder 24 Aug. 2000).

– February 2001: The leader of MQM, Altaf Hussain, stated that "his party was ready to shake hands with the PPP despite extra-judicial killings of MQM workers and other atrocities ... provided [that] Benazir Bhutto [leader of the PPP] ... announced that she would now struggle to liberate Sindh from the clutches of what he called the Punjabi establishment" (The News 11 Feb. 2001).

– August 2001: Altaf Hussain stated "without hesitation that he would set aside all bitter memories of the past if only the PPP leader Benazir Bhutto promised to work for Sindhis" (Gulf News 14 Aug. 2001). However, a year later, in August 2002, Farooq Sattar, deputy convener of the MQM, ruling out the possibility of an electoral alliance between MQM and any other political party, added that the PPP "would be the last party on earth [with] which the MQM would join hands" (Dawn 3 Aug. 2002)

– 12 October 2002: Unable to form a provincial government following the October 2002 elections without the cooperation of either independents or its former coalition partner, the MQM, Benazir Bhutto "had not ruled out cooperation with the MQM, provided [that the] past was buried to make a new beginning" (Dawn 12 Oct. 2002b).

– 29 October 2002: Central leaders of the PPP and the MQM held negotiations and "agreed to continue dialogue to form [a] coalition government in Sindh" (PNS 29 Oct. 2002).

– 30 October 2002: According to a PPP committee member, the PPP "was doing its best to establish a lasting relationship with the MQM on the basis of mutual respect by burying the hatchet" (Dawn 30 Oct. 2002). He also added that there was a realization between the two parties that a partnership between them "could provide stability to the province of Sindh" (ibid.).

– November 2002: The MQM held "long deliberations on the evolving political situation" and issued a statement saying that "it had negotiated with the PPP in the larger interest of Sindh, despite extra-judicial killings and atrocities committed by it" (Dawn 1 Nov. 2002). But, Benazir Bhutto, leader of the PPP "held the MQM responsible for the wrong done by the PPP" (ibid.).

– 1 December 2002: The PPP and MQM agreed "to continue dialogue aimed at the formation of a government in Sindh" (Dawn 1 Dec. 2002).

– 13 December 2002: Youns Khan, MQM(H) party secretary general and member of Sindh Assembly, was blocked by the police and subjected to the "worst kind of violence" when he tried to exit Sindh Assembly after taking his oath (PN 15 Dec. 2002). When PPP and Mutahhida Majalis Amal members "came to his rescue, they also faced maltreatment by the sleuths of police which is [an] unprecedented incident in [the] entire parliamentary history of the country" (ibid.).

MQM Political Violence Against Members of the PPP

References to incidents of political violence against PPP members by the MQM could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, the following information is relevant.

In the month long run-up to the October 2002 elections, there were 30 clashes between activists of rival parties that were reported to the police (Dawn 9 Oct. 2002). Two of those clashes were between the MQM and the PPP (ibid.).

In January 2003, Pakistan Press International reported that the chief of the ARD, Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, alleged that the "MQM had introduced violence in [the] peaceful city of Karachi and disrupted normalcy" (5 Jan. 2003).

In February 2003, PPP legislators recalled that

... the PPP always served [the] people of rural and urban Sindh without any discrimination and initiated projects like hospitals, universities, schools, flyovers and bypasses. Contrary to this, they alleged, [MQM] indulged itself in terrorizing people and presenting them gifts of dead bodies (Dawn 11 Feb. 2003).

According to Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2002, the MQM is "an urban Sindh-based political party that in the past used violence to further its aims" (31 Mar. 2003, Sec. 1a).

PPP Political Violence Against Members of the MQM

In January 2001, the PPP "rebuffed" charges levelled against it by the MQM, which accused the PPP of committing "'murders, raids, arrests and extra-judicial killings'" of MQM members (Dawn 4 Jan. 2001). A PPP spokesperson denied the charges, saying that the PPP had not "indulged in [the] victimization of the MQM" (ibid.). The spokesperson added that

... "human rights organizations had raised the issue of extra-judicial killings and [the] PPP asked the judiciary to look into these complaints. Consequently, one hundred and twenty-six judicial inquiries were held. Not one case of extra-judicial killing took place."

...

The spokesperson asserted that "PPP recognizes MQM as an important political force. However, it makes a distinction between [the] political wing of the MQM and its terrorist wing" (ibid.).

In February 2001, The Hindu reported that "[t]he MQM ... wanted the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) to apologize for the excess committed by its Government against its workers during its regime" (12 Feb. 2001).

For additional information on the situation in Sindh between the MQM and the PPP, please see paragraphs 5.84 to 5.85 and 6.122 to 6.135 of the April 2003 "Pakistan Assessment" by the United Kingdom's Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References