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Pakistan
Muhajir Qaumi Mahaz
The Muhajir Qaumi Mahaz (MQM), a party formed to represent the
interests of the muhajir community in Pakistan, had a
meteoric rise in the political life of the country. Founded by
Altaf Hussain in 1984, the MQM won thirteen (out of 207) seats
in the National Assembly in the 1988 elections, making it the
third largest party in the assembly after the PPP and the IJI.
MQM support of the PPP made it possible for Benazir to form a
government and become prime minister. Shortly after the election,
however, the coalition between the PPP and the MQM broke down,
and the two parties' subsequently troubled relations contributed
greatly to the instability of Benazir's first government. In the
1990 general elections, the MQM won fifteen seats in the National
Assembly, remaining the third largest party. The MQM boycotted
the 1993 National Assembly elections but won twenty-seven seats
in the provincial assembly of Sindh.
The MQM had its origin in the All-Pakistan Muhajir Students Organization
at Karachi University. At a large public meeting in Karachi in
1986, the MQM expressed the political and economic demands of
the muhajir community. The MQM's political strength came
primarily from the urban areas of Sindh, and its main emphasis
was on securing better job opportunities for muhajirs.
The MQM played an active role in the ethnic riots in Karachi in
the winter of 1986-87. These disturbances brought prominence and
notoriety to the MQM and its leader, Altaf Hussain. It was after
these riots that the MQM leadership converted the movement into
a political party. The MQM's full political weight was first felt
in the 1988 elections.
Data as of April 1994
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