SUMMARY

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Altaf (MQM-A) has been widely accused of human rights abuses since
its founding two decades ago. It claims to represent Mohajirs— Urdu-speaking Muslims who fled to
Pakistan from India after the 1947 partition of the subcontinent, and their descendants.

In the mid-1990s, the MQM-A was heavily involved in the widespread political violence that wracked
Pakistan's southern Sindh province, particularly Karachi, the port city that is the country's commercial
capital. MQM-A militants fought government forces, breakaway MQM factions, and militants from other
ethnic-based movements. In the mid-1990s, the U.S. State Department, Amnesty International, and
others accused the MQM-A and a rival faction of summary killings, torture, and other abuses (see, e.g.,
AI 1 Feb 1996; U.S. DOS Feb 1996). The MQM-A routinely denied involvement in violence.

BACKGROUND

The current MQM-A is the successor to a group called the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) that was
founded by Altaf Hussein in 1984 as a student movement to defend the rights of Mohajirs, who by some
estimates make up 60 percent of Karachi's population of twelve million. At the time, Mohajirs were
advancing in business, the professions, and the bureaucracy, but many resented the quotas that helped
ethnic Sindhis win university slots and civil service jobs. Known in English as the National Movement for
Refugees, the MQM soon turned to extortion and other types of racketeering to raise cash. Using both
violence and efficient organizing, the MQM became the dominant political party in Karachi and
Hyderabad, another major city in Sindh. Just three years after its founding, the MQM came to power in
these and other Sindh cities in local elections in 1987 (AI 1 Feb 1996; U.S. DOS Feb 1997, Feb 1999; HRW
Dec 1997).

The following year, the MQM joined a coalition government at the national level headed by Benazir
Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which took power in elections following the death of military
leader General Zia ul-Haq. This marked the first of several times in the 1980s and 1990s that the MQM
joined coalition governments in Islamabad or in Sindh province. Meanwhile, violence between the MQM
and Sindhi groups routinely broke out in Karachi and other Sindh cities (AI 1 Feb 1996; Jane's 14 Feb
2003).
In 1992, a breakway MQM faction, led by Afaq Ahmed and Aamir Khan, launched the MQM Haqiqi
(MQM-H), literally the "real" MQM. Many Pakistani observers alleged that the MQM-H was supported
by the government of Pakistan to weaken the main MQM led by Altaf Hussein, which became known as
the MQM-A (Jane's 14 Feb 2003). Several smaller MQM factions also emerged, although most of the
subsequent intra-group violence involved the MQM-A and the MQM-H (AI 1 Feb 1996; U.S. DOS Feb
1999; Jane's 14 Feb 2003).

Political violence in Sindh intensified in 1993 and 1994 (Jane's 14 Feb 2003). In 1994, fighting among
MQM factions and between the MQM and Sindhi nationalist groups brought almost daily killings in
Karachi (U.S. DOS Feb 1995). By July 1995, the rate of political killings in the port city reached an average
of ten per day, and by the end of that year more than 1,800 had been killed (U.S. DOS Feb 1996).

The violence in Karachi and other cities began abating in 1996 as soldiers and police intensified their
crackdowns on the MQM-A and other groups (Jane's 14 Feb 2003). Pakistani forces resorted to staged
"encounter killings" in which they would shoot MQM activists and then allege that the killings took place
during encounters with militants (U.S. DOS Feb 1996). Following a crackdown in 1997, the MQM-A
adopted its present name, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, or United National Movement, which also
has the initials MQM (HRW Dec 1997).

MQM-A leader Hussein fled in 1992 to Britain, where he received asylum in 1999 (Jane's 14 Feb 2003).
The MQM-A is not on the U.S. State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations (U.S. DOS 23 May
2003).

While the multifaceted nature of the violence in Sindh province in the 1980s and 1990s at times made it
difficult to pinpoint specific abuses by the MQM-A, the group routinely was implicated in rights abuses.
In 1992 after the Sindh government called in the army to crack down on armed groups in the province,
facilities were discovered that allegedly were used by the MQM-A to torture and at times kill dissident
members and activists from rival groups. In 1996, Amnesty International said that the PPP and other
parties were reporting that some of their activists had been tortured and killed by the MQM-A (AI 1 Feb
1996).

The MQM-A and other factions also have been accused of trying to intimidate journalists. In one of the
most flagrant cases, in 1990 MQM leader Hussein publicly threatened the editor of the monthly
NEWSLINE magazine after he published an article on the MQM's alleged use of torture against dissident
members (U.S. DOS Feb 1991). The following year, a prominent journalist, Zafar Abbas, was severely
beaten in Karachi in an attack that was widely blamed on MQM leaders angered over articles by Abbas
describing the party's factionalization. The same year, MQM activists assaulted scores of vendors selling
DAWN, Pakistan's largest English-language newspaper, and other periodicals owned by Herald
Publications (U.S. DOS Feb 1992).

The MQM-A has also frequently called strikes in Karachi and other cities in Sindh province and used
killings and other violence to keep shops closed and people off the streets. During strikes, MQM-A
activists have ransacked businesses that remained open and attacked motorists and pedestrians who
ventured outside (U.S. DOS Feb 1996; Jane's 14 Feb 2003).

The MQM-A allegedly raises funds through extortion, narcotics smuggling, and other criminal activities.
In addition, Mohajirs in Pakistan and overseas provide funds to the MQM-A through charitable
foundations (Jane's 14 Feb 2003).

Since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States, the MQM-A has been increasingly
critical of Islamic militant groups in Pakistan. The MQM-A, which generally has not targeted Western
interests, says that it supports the global campaign against terrorism (Jane's 14 Feb 2003).

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the
RIC 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.

Haqiqi Mohajir Quami Movement (MQM-H), Terrorist Group of Pakistan

The Haqiqi Mohajir Quami Movement (MQM-H) is a splinter outfit of the erstwhile Mohajir Quami
Movement (MQM), which is now known as the Muttahida Quami Mahaz (MQM-A) of Altaf Hussain.
Disagreements between Altaf Hussain and the then MQM’s two prominent militant leaders, Afaq
Ahmed and Aamir Khan had first surfaced towards the end of 1991. The formal split and formation of
the MQM (H) came about in June 1992 after Operation Cleanup launched by Pakistani security forces in
Karachi. The dissidents attached Haqiqi meaning real or authentic in Urdu as a suffix to the MQM
acronym as an assertion of the outfit's legitimacy. Many former MQM members who were expelled
from the Altaf faction due to alleged criminal links joined the Haqiqi faction.

Ever since the formation of the MQM (H), Karachi and other urban regions of Sindh have been rocked by
internecine clashes within the majority Mohajir community. There were several incidents of targeted
killings whereby terrorists of one faction would attack members or sympathisers of the other. These had
peaked in 1997 and several bystanders too were killed in these attacks. In June, the headquarters of the
MQM (H) was attacked by suspected MQM (A) terrorists which sparked off a series of attacks by each
faction targeted at the other and over sixty people were killed in the month.

Prior to this, the violent clashes in these areas were between Mohajir militants and extremists of other
ethnic communities such as the Sindhis, Pathans and Punjabis. The MQM (A) has consistently accused
Pakistani security forces and intelligence agencies of creating and fostering the MQM (H) in order to
weaken the Mohajir movement. Several Pakistani analysts have endorsed this accusation.

The level of violence in Karachi and other urban regions of Sindh have declined. Several strong-arm
measures taken by the Pakistan government, including repeated crackdowns initiated by police and
army units since 1992 has considerably weakened both factions of the MQM. In 1998, several
crackdowns were initiated and scores of activists of both factions were either arrested or killed in
encounters. Since then, there have been only isolated reports of clashes between the two factions such
as the February 2000 killing of an MQM (A) activist and the killing of an MQM (H) activist in December
2001. Either faction has claimed several victims of criminal violence, and the other faction would be
blamed. Police sources largely reject these claims.

On the ideological front, the MQM (H) claims that continuing socio-economic and political injustices
have alienated the Mohajirs and compelled them to seek a separate province within the geographical
boundary of Pakistan. The outfit also asserts that if the rights of the Mohajirs are not accepted, demands
for a separate province would get accentuated. The MQM (H) also asserts that any decision regarding
the division of Sindh would have to be taken by the Federal government in consultation with the
provincial leadership. It has also pointed out that demanding a separate province within the limits of
Pakistan should not be construed as being against the integrity of the country.

The MQM (A), however, accuses the Haqiqi faction of involvement in extortion in Karachi and that the
latter merely ‘serves the interests’ of the Pakistani government. The Rangers, a security force of the
Federal government is often accused by the MQM (A) of having close links with the MQM (H). According
to the MQM (A) chief, Altaf Hussain the MQM (H) is bereft of any agenda of its own.

The MQM (H) has survived without the sort of political mandate enjoyed by the Altaf Hussain group and
controls certain neighbourhoods in Karachi by force. In 1997-98, the MQM (A), which as a coalition
partner of then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief’s, Pakistan Muslim League, had repeatedly accused the
MQM (H) of creating ‘no-go areas’ in Karachi, localities where MQM (H) activists were preventing MQM
(A) activists from entering. But MQM (H) leader Afaq Ahmed while denying the existence of "no-go
areas" maintains that it is a "baseless term". According to the Haqiqi faction, these are the areas where
the MQM-A and his cadres have unleashed a reign of terror. News reports also mention that Malir,
Landhi, Shah Faisal Colony and Korangi areas which were the strong holds of MQM (A) till a short while
ago are now under the control of the Haqiqi faction.