ISLAMABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain has been admitted to a hospital in London following a serious illness, according to party officials.
In a video statement on X, Convener of MQM’s Central Coordination Committee Mustafa Azizabadi said that Altaf Hussain was hospitalised due to deteriorating health and is currently undergoing multiple tests.
Azizabadi revealed that Hussain’s condition worsened last night, prompting doctors to recommend hospitalisation. There was “nothing alarming so far” but medical tests were ongoing, he clarified.
ایم کیو ایم کے بانی و قائد جناب الطاف حسین کی علالت کے بارے میں رابطہ کمیٹی کے کنوینر مصطفےٰ عزیز آبادی کا اہم وڈیو لاگ #GetWellSoonAltafBhai pic.twitter.com/5drSbbZLpg
— Mustafa Azizabadi (@azizabadi) July 10, 2025
Altaf Hussain, 70, has lived in self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom since 1992, after the Pakistani government launched a crackdown against his party.
He was granted British citizenship and continued to exert considerable political influence in Karachi through regular telephonic addresses to party workers.
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The veteran politician has faced various legal challenges. In October 2019, UK police charged him with terrorism-related offences linked to his 2016 speech, inciting violence. He was later acquitted in 2022 by a British jury in a majority verdict after a three-day deliberation.
Former Deputy Convenor of MQM Qasim Ali said in an X post that doctors at a local hospital in London checked Altaf Hussain and prescribed various tests, including blood tests, ECG, CT scan, X-ray and ultrasound.
Health Bulletin
آج لندن کےمقامی اسپتال میں ڈاکٹروں نےجناب الطاف حسین کا چیک اپ کیااورمختلف ٹیسٹ تجویز کیے جن میں
بلڈ ٹیسٹ، ECG, سی ٹی اسکین،ایکسرےاورالٹراساؤنڈ شامل ہیں۔
جناب الطاف حسین ملکی وبین الاقوامی صورتحال،لندن میں متعددمقدمات، شدید مالی مشکلات کی وجہ سے طویل عرصے سے
1/2 pic.twitter.com/JoZIj1hti8— Qasim Ali (@QasimalirazaAli) July 11, 2025
“Altaf Hussain has been suffering from severe mental stress for a long time due to the domestic and international situation, several cases in London, and severe financial difficulties.”
In addition to medicines, Ali said, the doctors has also prescribed blood transfusion.
He also requested people to “please continue praying for Altaf Bhai”, and promised to keep people informed about his health from moment to moment.
Though Altaf Hussain is out from the political stage in Pakistan due to this self-imposed exile, he remains a polarising figure, with supporters crediting him for empowering Karachi’s Urdu-speaking population and critics blaming him for violence and political instability in the city.
MQM supporters are sharing best wishes and prayers for his speedy recovery on social media.