From Mohallah to Mainstream: The MQM’s Transformation from an Ethnic to a Catch-All Party By Noman Baig B.A., University of Central Oklahoma, 2005 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS In the Department of Political Science Noman Baig, 2008 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee Dr. Radhika Desai, Professor, Department of Political Science Supervisor Dr. Feng Xu, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science Departmental Member Dr. Guoguang Wu, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science Departmental Member Dr. Gregory Blue, Associate Professor, Department of History External Member iii Abstract Supervisory Committee: Dr. Radhika Desai, Professor, Department of Political Science Supervisor Dr. Feng Xu, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science Departmental Member Dr. Guoguang Wu, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science Departmental Member Dr. Gregory Blue, Associate Professor, Department of History External Member This thesis asks how the Mohajir Quami Mahaz (MQM), transformed itself from an ethnic to a catch-all party. Existing literature heavily emphasizes the MQM’s militancy, while this thesis explores the journey of the party, formed in 1984 to represent Urdu-speakers in Pakistan, through each phase of its development down to its transformation into the Muttahida Qaumi Mahaz (United National Movement) in 1997. The MQM’s process of transformation can be explained theoretically through Kirchheimer’s catch-all party theory. My findings note a shift from an ethno-militant agenda of Mohajir interests to one stressing the need for “national unity” and modernization. It is argued that the party shifted from making choices based on ideology to a strategy-based politics. The MQM, therefore, sought voters outside its traditional constituent base in an effort to gain national appeal. As an urban-based middle-class party, it provides an ideal example of how a party adopts to a changing social environment fractured by military administration, modernity, and political Islam. Therefore, this thesis is the story of the MQM’s journey from mohallah to mainstream. iv Table of Contents Supervisory Committee .................................................................................................. ii Abstract......................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ...........................................................................................................iv List of Tables .................................................................................................................vi List of Abbreviations.....................................................................................................vii Heads of State and Government................................................................................... viii Glossary .........................................................................................................................ix Chronology of the MQM .................................................................................................x Preface and Acknowledgements .................................................................................. xiii Dedication..................................................................................................................xxiv Epigraph......................................................................................................................xxv INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................1 Thesis Question and Hypothesis...........................................................................5 Synopsis ..............................................................................................................5 Definition of Mohajir ...........................................................................................6 Literature Review ................................................................................................8 Critique of Previous Explanations of the MQM’s Change ..................................13 Rationale and Significance of the Study.............................................................15 Methodology......................................................................................................16 CHAPTER ONE ...........................................................................................................19 Evolution of Political Parties in Pakistan .......................................................................19 CHAPTER TWO...........................................................................................................42 Theorizing the MQM’s Change .....................................................................................42 Defining “Party” ................................................................................................43 Conceptualizing the Development of Parties ......................................................45 The Catch-All Theory ........................................................................................48 Growth of Political Parties in Pakistan ...............................................................55 Factors Contributing to the MQM’s Transformation...........................................58 CHAPTER THREE.......................................................................................................65 Urdu Speakers’ Dominance and Decline........................................................................65 Arrival and Settlement of Migrants ....................................................................66 v Urdu Speakers’ Dominance in Pakistan’s Early Years, 1947-58.........................69 Urdu Speakers’ Supremacy Declines..................................................................75 Ayub Khan’s Reforms, 1958-1969.....................................................................76 Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s Reforms, 1970-1977.........................................................78 Zia ul-Haq Bolsters Punjabi Hegemony, 1977-1988...........................................81 Urbanization and Underdevelopment .................................................................83 Underdevelopment.............................................................................................86 CHAPTER FOUR .........................................................................................................89 Emergence of Agitational Mohajir Politics and the MQM..............................................89 The MQM’s Rise to Popularity and Power.........................................................95 Assertion of the ‘Mohajir’ Identity.....................................................................97 Organizational Structure of the MQM ..............................................................101 Mode of Operation...........................................................................................102 Politics of Alliance Making..............................................................................106 Political Islam Challenges the MQM................................................................121 CHAPTER FIVE.........................................................................................................126 The MQM’s Transformation........................................................................................126 Changing the Party Name ................................................................................127 Changing the Party Structure............................................................................129 Manufacturing a Soft Image for the Party.........................................................132 Altaf Hussain Broadens His Vision ..................................................................133 Ideology versus Strategy: From Protest to Acquiescence..................................136 CHAPTER SIX ...........................................................................................................151 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................151 Appendices..................................................................................................................154 Bibliography................................................................................................................156 vi List of Tables Table 1. Political Parties’ Electoral Position in Sindh National Assembly Elections.........2 Table 2. Comparison of MQM's Goals and Objectives in Pre- and Post-1997 Periods......3 Table 3. Party Electoral Positions in the 1970 National Assembly Elections ..................34 Table 4. Settlement Location of 1947 Migrants to Pakistan According to Their Zone of Origin in Indiaa ......................................................................................................67 Table 5. Ethnic Representation in Federal Bureaucracy, 1973-86...................................82 Table 6. Intercensal Increase in Karachi’s Population Size (1951-1981) ........................85 Table 7. Statistics from Karachi Riots............................................................................94