[Muttahida Qaumi Movement] generally known as MQM or simply Muttahida, is one of the largest political parties of Pakistan representing immigrants who migrated from India to Pakistan in 1947. MQM is the only Pakistani political party to grow out of a student organization. The student organization, All Pakistan Muhajir Students Organization (APMSO), was started on 11 June 1978 at the University of Karachi by Altaf Hussain. Mr. Hussain remains its leader. APMSO gave birth to Muhajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) on 18th March 1984, which by 1991 "established a virtual monopoly over representation of the Urdu-speaking community in urban Sindh." On July 26 1997, MQM officially removed the term Muhajir from its name, and replaced it with Muttahida ("United"). to, "further the program of national development" and to carry out "a nation-wide campaign against feudal domination." Most Pakistanis hold MQM directly responsible for the incident of May-12 2007 which left more then 50 people dead in roits allegedly carried out with the blessing of then President Parvez Musharraf. MQM is officially branded a terrorist organization in Canada by Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs and it is very difficult for people to be associated with it to be accepted as citizens of Western countries. The MQM is one of few socially liberal political parties in Pakistan, and organized the the largest rallies in Pakistan that protested the actions of Al-Qaeda on September 11, 2001, and demonstrated sympathy with the USA. Recently, the MQM has begun an anti-Taliban campaign in Karachi to stop pathan talebans coming to Karachi(proved by BBC Barbara Plett Report on Karachi BBC Report on Pathan Taleban presence in Karachi what they wrongly blame is a "Talibanization" of Karachi by Pashtun supporters of the nominally socialist Awami National Party. The MQM believes that religion and the state should be completely separated, and so has won the support of many Shias, and Ahmadiyas in Karachi.
