LONDON: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain was hospitalised on Sunday night after his health reportedly deteriorated, the party confirmed.
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In a statement posted on X, MQM said Hussain was taken to hospital on Sunday evening, where doctors conducted an initial examination and decided to admit him for further treatment.
The party said Hussain was given an injection and placed on an IV drip due to physical weakness. Doctors were scheduled to carry out detailed medical examinations on Monday.
In a subsequent update, MQM said Hussain also received a blood transfusion on doctors’ advice late Sunday night.
London-based senior MQM leader Mustafa Azizabadi said Hussain’s condition was linked to “severe mental stress” and prolonged organisational work, claiming the party founder had been working 18 to 20 hours a day.
Hussain has been living in London in self-imposed exile since 1992 and later obtained British citizenship. From the UK, he remained politically active for years, frequently addressing supporters in Karachi through televised and online speeches.
This is not the first time Hussain has been hospitalised in recent years. In July last year, he was admitted to a London hospital due to serious illness and discharged nearly two weeks later after undergoing multiple tests and blood transfusions. He was again hospitalised in August with severe flu and a chest infection. In February 2021, he was treated in intensive care after contracting Covid-19.
Political journey
Born on September 17, 1953, in Karachi, Hussain completed his early education in Azizabad before earning a pharmacy degree from the University of Karachi in 1979.
His political career began during his student years when he co-founded the All-Pakistan Mohajir Students Organisation (APMSO) in 1978. The movement quickly gained popularity, laying the foundation for MQM.
Under Hussain’s leadership, MQM swept urban Sindh in the 1988 general elections, becoming the country’s third-largest political party.
In the early 1990s, Hussain went into exile amid a government operation in Karachi. MQM was later accused of employing violent tactics to secure political power, allegations Hussain consistently denied, maintaining that the party and its workers had been systematically targeted by the state and rival groups.
Hussain faced widespread criticism in May 2013 following a controversial televised address. However, the defining rupture came in August 2016 after a fiery speech in which he raised slogans against Pakistan. Shortly afterward, MQM workers attacked a private TV channel’s office in Karachi, prompting a sweeping crackdown. The party’s headquarters in Karachi and Hussain’s Azizabad residence were sealed, and MQM leaders in Pakistan distanced themselves from him, removing his name from the party constitution.
In October 2019, British authorities charged Hussain with encouraging terrorism over the 2016 speech. He was arrested earlier that year and released on bail. In February 2022, a 12-member jury in the UK acquitted him on both counts under the Terrorism Act 2006.
