From: khan@ces.cwru.edu (Mansoor Khan)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan
Subject: Altaf retires
Date: 27 Dec 1992 01:28:47 GMT
Organization: Computer Engineering and Science, Case Western Reserve University
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: king.ces.cwru.edu


Mr. Rizvi writes

***********
>It is really a very bad news for Pakistani nation that MQM's chief Quid-e-Tehreek Altaf Hussain announced his retirement from national politics. He was the only politician in  the country who was struggling against the people who want to divide Pakistan. He is
>the most sincere, loyal and devoted political leader in the history of Pakistan.
*********

I do not believe that any person's retirement is a big deal. Pakistanis and
Indian have the habbit of peristishing a guy to a great extent. Jinnah was
the best leader, Gandhiji was the best, Lata is the greatest singer,
Tarbela dam is the biggest, PIA is the best. Vaghaira Vaghaira etc. etc.
No one is perfect.
Atleast Altaf's retirement is a good sign for one thing. This is the first
time any politician in Pakistan has retired from politics. Now that I am not
comparing Altaf with Ghaffar Khan or G.M.Syed, but look at these dudes.
Ghaffar Khan was I guess 98 or something. G.M.Syed is moonh may daant nahi'n
aur pait may aant nahi'n, lekin politics say chipkay hai'n. Or we see
people like Zardari( Oh, not again!) and Gauhar Ayub( on ho!). Look at
the dheetness of these guys. Every one knows what cheaters they are but
they are still sticking around. No shame, may be!
Or look at Navabzadah Nasrullah Khan( for some reason I do not hate him,
for a change) and Wali Khan. These guys should retire, but they do not.
So Mr. Rizvi do not feel bad. Altaf has shown them a way. I hope they
get a lesson.
	Altaf's retirement has also proved something else. In Pakistan
it is difficult to survive in politics if you are not in the good books
of Zamindars/jagirdars or one of them. Do you think people like 
LVQ's I have been cursing ever since SCP started really like altaf around.
What if someone in their village thinks about his rights and refuses
to maalish the vaderaa or zamindar. What if someone in tharparkar
demanded electricity. What if hurs demand education. Will that leave time
for Pagara to make foolish and comical forecasts. 


>Govt. of Pakistan and especially Pakistan Army finally got success in their 
>conspiracies against the middleclass population of Pakistan. Now there is nobody in
>national politics who fight for the rights of poor nation, who speak against fudal
>system, who practically represent middleclass.

	Yeah, Altaf was becoming just too powerful. People were talking about
him in the villages of Panjab and NWFP. This guy was no zamindar. This 
guy was no retired army man. If he could ask for the rights of people
of Urban Sindh, may be he could hlep them too. That is it. I guess that
is the biggest mistake of Altaf. HE should have not told the nation that
MQM will change its name to Mutahida Qaumi Movement. And If I have been
told correctly people who were opposed to MQM working on Pakistan level,
and insisting that MQM means Muhajir....., are the people who came
back riding army trucks and took control of MQM's offices.
I will request others to confirm/correct me on this. I am not sure, but
is it true that MQM faction supported by the army in its recent
operation is the one which was against MQM working at the national level?!?
It is hard to imagine, but I guess army supported the people( a small group
within MQM) who wanted to keep MQM as Muhajir Qaumi Movement and did not
not want MQM to transform into Mutahida Qaumi Movement.
This is a very important point and should be discussed further.


I guess, what army-zamindar  union was afraid was that may be MQM will really
go national. As long as they were talking of Muhajirs who cared. MQM
cannot really do much in Pakistani society with its 13 or 15 seats. 
The real danger was MQM going national and endorsing/supporting young
and educated people for elections to the national assmebly from all
over Pakistan. That would have really screwed up things for the jahils
currently in the assemblies( some of these people are actually
educated but  have jahil zamindarana mentality).
	I think any leader in Pakistan which will tell the party workers
to quit smoking, and people actually doing that( hard to believe), will
get into big trouble. I do not particularly care for Altaf but I was
impressed by this  thing. I did see posters and banners all over karachi
in 1991 which told people to quit smoking. Now gimme a break,
since when politicians have begun to care for things like that. I know
some may say that this was a cheap political naaraa, but hey I prefer
this cheap naaraa from an educated ex-Taxi driver than the jahil
army general's and politician's drug dealings( i.e. Fazl-e-Haq). Oh now
some one will ask for proofs.


>Altaf Hussain is the undisputed leader of more than 12 millions Mohajirs. Now Mohajirs
	So what? They can come up with new leader. There is no shortage
of talented people in Pakistan.  

>even don't have the right to select their leader.Mohajirs at this time seriously
>thinking about their future in Pakistan.

	I have a suggestion. Muhajirs should not confine themselves to
Karachi.  There future lies with whole Pakistan. They should support
education in the whole country. Lack of education is the problem.
What MQM could have done in its good days was may be start schools
in every  district and every village of Pakistan. Once people are educated
all over, no one will try to take the rights away from others.
There will be no bugtis and sharifs who fool their people, get elected in 
the assemblies, and then appoint Gauhar ayub as Speaker( next step President),
and pass bills and laws which deny fundamental rights to this or that group.


>I request to Quid-e-Tehreek Altaf Hussain to review his decision.At this crucial stage
	As I said if this guy has retired someone else will come. May be
not as good,  may be better. Let us stop making jin out of people like
altaf hussain or imran khan or malka taranum. Let's try new people.

>Pakistani nation is looking for his guidance and leadership.
	May be. But unless people are educated in Pakistan,
people like Altaf, parties like MQM, etc can not do any thing.
They will have Pagaras and Jatois to guide and lead them.


>Raghib Muhammad
>Rutgers University
>New Jersey.

Mansoor Khan
Cleveland.


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