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Muhajir nationalism is an ideology that emphasizes thatMuhajirs are one nation and promotes thecultural unity of Muhajirs, using the ideology politicians fromMQM, also support the vision of Muhajir Province. The demands of the Muhajir nationalist movement are linguistic, cultural, economic and political rights. Amir H. Kazmi is considered as theFather of Muhajir nationalism.[2] Muhajir nationalism, as put by Adeel Khan, was a political response to loss of their erstwhile influence in state machinery.[1] Muhajir nationalists also generally advocate for the creation of a province for the Muhajir people.[3]
The Muhajir people (also spelled Mohajir and Mahajir) are theMuslim immigrants of various ethnic and regional groups who migrated toPakistan following thePartition of India. They are spread across the Urban Areas of Pakistan, particularly forming a majority in the city ofKarachi.[4] Throughout the years, there have been many tensions between them and theSindhi people. The Muhajirs were generally socially liberal, however despite this, they supported the two main religious parties: TheJamaat-i-Islami, and theJamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan. This was due to the fact that the Muhajirs were not native to the land and hence supported a multi-ethnic and pluralistic identity based onIslam that was advocated for by the religious parties. As the rise ofMuhammad Ayub Khan in the military coup in 1958 reduced the influence of the Muhajirs, the community would begin strongly opposing his dictatorship starting from the early1960s, primarily voting forFatima Jinnah in the 1964 election.[5][6] WhenZulfikar Ali Bhutto, a Sindhi was electedPrime Minister of Pakistan, the Muhajirs feared that they would be sidelined in favour of theSindhis and hence strongly supported the 1977 right wing government (generally led by the religious parties). However, thePakistan National Alliance did not return the Muhajir ruling class, despite the Jamaat-e-Islami forming an important part of GeneralZia-ul-haq's 1977 military coup.[5][6]
Disillusioned following the removal of nearly a 1000 Urdu-speaking officials and the imposition of an ethnolinguistic quota system by the Bhutto administration and the Pakistan National Alliance, numerous Muhajir politicians such asAltaf Hussein became involved in student activism. He was a proactive person atKarachi University. He, founded an organisation called theAll Pakistan Muhajir Students Organisation(APMSO) in 1978, seeking to curb Muhajir prejudice. Later on, another organisation, theMuhajir Qaumi Movement(MQM) was also founded byAzim Ahmed Tariq. Tensions between the ethnic groups of Sindh led to mob violence in 1985 and have persisted to the modern day.[5][6] It was during Zia-ul-Haq's rule that the term "Muhajir nationalism" began repeatedly being used, advocating for the unity of the Muhajirs. Shortly after Zia expanded the quota system for another decade, the APMSO merged with the MQM, opposing the dominance of Punjab. The project was a success and by 1992, the MQM was the second-largest political party in Sindh.
The partnership between the MQM and thePPP only increased tensions between the Sindhis and the Muhajirs, and eventually collapsed in 1989, leading to a very bloody moment in Karachi's history. Following this violence, numerous operations took place against the MQM, particularlyOperation Clean-up which was based on accusations of the MQM seeking to create an autonomous Muhajir State calledJinnahpur. The MQM later on changed its name to theMuttahaida Qaumi Movement to appeal to a wider base, but no significant change occurred in its politics and Muhajirs were still not allowed to be members of the Party. The MQM finally halted hostilities with the administration when GeneralPervez Musharaff took control of the nation. Beginning in 2002, the MQM further added dimensions to Muhajir Nationalism, portrayingMuhajirs as "Urdu-speaking Sindhis" who were connected to the Sindhi speakersof the prove[clarification needed] through a spiritual bond from the teachings of the SaintShah Abdul Latif. The MQM had significant influence during the duration of the Musharaff era, but the fall of Musharaff in 2008 led to the reduction of Muhajir influence. The renewed conflict with the administration during theSharif Regime led toAltaf Hussain fleeing Pakistan and heightened factionalism in the party, leading to the weakening of the MQM and the ideology of Muhajir Nationalism in favour of thePTI during the 2018 general election. However, theMQM-P partially saw its success return in the 2024 general election.[5][6]