Mustafa Kamal met Ali Faut at Amisa
For the generation of Mohajir youth who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, Mustafa Kamal was the perfect example of how far someone could go if they had the right opportunities. A resident of a slum, a telephone operator, and then the city nazim (mayor) of Karachi. But he could only rise this high because of his association with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Altaf Hussain. Without Altaf, they were nothing.
Kamal’s emergence as the rebel against Altaf’s tyranny, of course, had an obvious history. Kamal had slowly but surely parted ways with the party after his tenure as the mayor ended. He also shied away from any interviews or requests to reveal what exactly transpired between him and the party chief. Only after his return did he break his silence about why he had rebelled and his remorse at being party to the moral corruption sown by Altaf. He condemned the “Mohajir” identity, choosing instead to identify with an overarching “Pakistani” identity.
Ever since his return, however, Kamal has been unable to establish his party as more than a safe haven for former MQM activists with criminal records. In fact, his Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) still doesn’t give the impression of being a permanent entity like the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) does. This is despite the presence of some ideological heavyweights within PSP ranks.
Although some grassroots defectors have returned to the MQM-P ahead of the polls, the PSP still retains a strong workers base who have been able to adorn mohallas and markets with PSP flags and banners. But public response to Kamal’s campaign has been lukewarm till now. What the PSP has going for them is their strategy of focussing on select constituencies where they feel they have a higher probability of winning. And in those areas, Kamal’s party has been mirroring the man whose ways they supposedly abhor.