Exiled Pakistan politician to return

The MQM opened its London headquarters in 2000

The leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Altaf Hussain, has made a surprise announcement that he would like to return to Pakistan after more than a decade in exile.

However, Mr Hussain's party members have advised him that that it may not be safe to return at this time.

Mr Hussain who has been in self-imposed exile in Britain since the early 1990s, said he would make a final decision on 7 November.

Altaf Hussain: Pledge to return to Pakistan

After he left Pakistan, an army operation was launched against his party during which a large number of its workers were either killed in alleged fake encounters with the police or were arrested on charges of terrorism.

Some cases were registered against Mr Hussain himself.

Major role

The MQM, is an organisation dominated by Urdu-speaking refugees, who migrated to Pakistan from India at the time of independence.

However, his party continued to play a major role in the political scene.

In the elections on 10 October it won 13 seats in the National Assembly and 31 in the 130-seat Provincial Assembly of Sindh, becoming the second biggest party in the province.

Altaf Hussain has been running the party from London, where the MQM has an international secretariat and some of its senior leaders also live.

The MQM has many supporters in Karachi

On Sunday, a press release issued from the secretariat said Altaf Hussain had asked his followers to be mentally prepared for his return.

He said he had to dispose of some urgent and important matters in London and hoped to come back to Pakistan after that.

He asked his followers to carry on the party work even if he was arrested or killed on his return but he did not explain why he wanted to come back.

His followers and the policy-making co-ordination committee of MQM have since asked him not to come back, fearing he may be killed.