LONDON: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain was admitted to a hospital in London on Friday following a sudden decline in his health, MQM officials reported.
Medical personnel initially attended to the MQM founder at his residence before he was transported to a local hospital for further examinations and ongoing treatment.
The MQM ‘information department’ reported that Altaf Hussain’s sudden decline in health required urgent medical intervention, including dispatching an ambulance.
The latest hospitalisation came just weeks after a previous stay, during which the MQM founder underwent multiple diagnostic tests addressing serious health concerns.
Altaf Hussain, who is in his early 70s, has been experiencing ongoing health issues; compounded by financial and legal pressures, according to party sources.
His current treatment reportedly includes blood transfusions and a series of diagnostic procedures such as electrocardiograms (ECGs), imaging scans and blood tests.
Read more: MQM founder Altaf Hussain falls ‘seriously ill’ in London
Born in Karachi in 1953, Altaaf Hussain began his political career as a student leader representing the Urdu-speaking community in the late 1970s. He founded MQM in the 1980s, which rapidly grew into a major political force in Sindh’s urban areas, particularly Karachi.
Since relocating to the United Kingdom in the early 1990s and gaining British citizenship, the Karachi native remained politically engaged primarily through telecommunication channels and broadcasts directed at his followers in Pakistan.
His political trajectory has been punctuated by controversies, including a 2016 speech the triggered a government crackdown on MQM and led to fragmentation within the party.
In the UK, Hussain faced terrorism-related charges connected to the 2016 speech but was acquitted by a jury in 2022 following a detailed three-day trial.
Read more: Altaf Hussain passes away
Despite his extended self-imposed exile, he retains symbolic influence among segments of Karachi’s population. His active political has diminished, however.