Altaf Hussain addressed the gathering on APMSO’s 43rd Foundation Day

London, UK: Altaf Hussain, Founder and leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), addressed the gathering over the phone in Durban on APMSO’s 43rd Foundation Day that was commemorated in South Africa. Altaf Hussain has said that they want their survival and dignified life for future generations and do not want to get deprived of their rights. He added, they are fully determined and would never allow anyone to snatch their rights.

“We are raising voice for our rights. The state of Pakistan started state operation to crush us which is continuing till today. Thousands of comrades have been snatched from us, thousands of our comrades have been arrested and enforcedly disappeared. We do not know that they are alive or killed. When the state made it difficult for MQM workers to stay in the country, the movement gave the message to its comrades to go wherever they could to save their lives. During the state operation, hundreds of comrades fled to different countries including South Africa,” he said.

Hussain told the gathering that a nation that is divided loses everything even freedom.

“In a conspiracy to divide the power of the Indian people, the British presented a false bi-national ideology to the Muslims of India in the disguise of Islam. It was said that Hindus and Muslims are two separate nations. Pakistan was created under that deceptive slogan of two-nation theory. But soon, Pakistan was divided into Pakistan and Bangladesh. Thus, the power of the Muslims was divided into three parts. If the Muslims of India were not divided and united, they would be a great power in India today,” Hussain said.

“The division of India on that deceptive two-nation theory was a befooling tactic of the British Empire and both the nations were deceived,” he added.

Hussain said breaking of India in the name of Islam by “dividing the power of the Muslims and weakening them is not sympathy to Muslims.

He said Bengali Muslims were living a better life than Pakistanis.

Hussain said today Punjabi generals and bureaucrats “have occupied Pakistan”.

“Today, every conscious person is forced to think that we have been betrayed in the name of Pakistan. That is why today everyone wants freedom from this occupation. We want our free homeland where we can go freely to the Muslims of India and to have good relations with Bangladesh,” he said.

“Mohajirs do not want their younger generations to be wiped out, sisters and daughters enslaved and forced to live a humiliating life of slavery. We want the survival of our nation and the dignified life of our future generations. We do not want to deprive anymore of our rights” he added.

Hussain urged upon the MQM activists in South Africa that they should get reinforced, cement their unity and bring back those activists who had become inactive due to any reason.

“It is time to make fierce advancements for our struggle for freedom,” he added.

MQM Central Organising Committee member Ali Trawish and Central Organiser of MQM South Africa Muhammad Yusuf also addressed the gathering. South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) leader and local councillor Najma Ahmed also attended.