18th March – Revolution In the political history of Pakistan

The main theory & ideology behind creation of Pakistan was to make a separate homeland for the Muslims of indo-pak subcontinent, because Hindus in India wanted to get hold of whole India after the end of British rule over India. Although in Punjab, Sindh, north west frontier province, Baluchistan , Kashmir and  Bangladesh Muslims were in majority but Indian government wanted to subjugate Muslim majority areas also & their injustice , tyranny & violence towards Muslims during their government rule after 1930 elections that congress party won increased. So in order to get rid of this unpleasant situation , the Muslims of subcontinent demanded separate homeland  which came into being on August 14^th 1947. Soon after the death of Quaid-e-Azam the feudal wanted to take over the new born country but the only roadblock for feudal to power were the patriots who had led the Pakistan movement.

Pakistani history tells us that the country has been ruled throughout by feudals, waderas and bureaucrats belonging to the two percent privileged population of the country. This class dominates the country’s political life, the administrative services, the military establishments, the economy and the general decision making process, while the 98 percent under-privileged population is denied its rightful share in the exercise of political and economic power in running the affairs of the state. Being politically disadvantaged and economically handicapped this sector of the society is unable to find a place in the assemblies and the corridors of power in the country. As a consequence, it remains perpetually deprived and alienated. It just plays second fiddle to the ruling class. It is obliged to vote for them, make up the crowd in their political gatherings and processions, raise slogans and resort to appreciative clapping to their soulless and hackneyed speeches, containing promises which are never meant to be fulfilled.

The beacon of hope for this class came in form of a student’s organization in  Karachi University  know as  APMSO, which was founded in 1978 by Mr.Altaf Hussain who then was a student of Pharmacy at the University of Karachi. The creation of APMSO was as a result of the deprivation of the fundamental  education rights  of the Mohajir students in initially .The  “Quota System”  made it difficult for the local Mohajirs of proper education and deprived  them of admissions in the universities and professional colleges also  they were not given proper rooms and accomodations in hostels despite having better and required grades in comparison to the students of other provinces of Pakistan or rural areas of Sindh as well as employment in government jobs.

On March 18, 1984, the APMSO evolved into a proper political organization Muhajir Quami Movement, When Mr.Altaf Hussain observed that the injustice and discrimination was not only practized with the children of the creators of Pakistan but was a general attitude of the 2% ruling elite towards the 90% population of Pakistan he on July 26, 1997, officially changed Mohajir Qaumi Movement to Muttahida Qaumi Movement signifying it as a party and voice for all the deprived factions and people in Pakistan.

Altaf Hussain's MQM can be credited as the first political party in Pakistan that introduced a new trend in the political culture by giving it a non-feudal based political philosophy. It claims to be a political party of working towards the betterment of the poor and middle class population of Pakistan and boasts of sending poor and middle class people to the Parliament for the first time in history of the country and thus 18^th March 1984 can clearly be stated as a date which revolutionalised the political history of Pakistan.

(Dr Asif)