VZCZCXRO8649
RR RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHKP #0362/01 3200447
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 160447Z NOV 09
FM AMCONSUL KARACHI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1419
INFO RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0871
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0316
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0361
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1912
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 2770
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 4652
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUCNFB/FBI WASHDC
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KARACHI 000362 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: REASON 1.4(B) AND (D) DECL: 11/12/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PTER KCRM KCRS PK
SUBJECT: KARACHI - MQM'S STUDENT-WING AS LEADERSHIP TRAINING GROUND 
 
¶1. (C) Summary.  Poloffs met November 6 with Syed Waheeduzzaman, 
Chairman of APMSO, which he described as the "mother-wing" of MQM. 
APMSO provides traditional student support in schools and 
Universities across Sindh and plays a major role in the day to day 
operations of MQM by identifying and providing leadership training to 
future MQM leaders and promulgating the MQM brand among Pakistani 
youth.  He described both MQM and APMSO as true democratic 
organizations and claimed the perception that APMSO and MQM use 
violence for political means is part of a media strategy by 
entrenched feudal and political interests designed to isolate the 
party.  He countered that MQM has been a major force against the 
spread of violent extremism in Karachi and Sindh.  Waheeduzzaman 
claimed that other political parties, such as the Pakistan People's 
Party (PPP), feel threatened by MQM's ability to change the 
"traditional political system" and have blocked their expansion into 
Sindh's rural areas.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) PolOffs met November 6 with Syed Waheeduzzaman, Chairman of 
the All Pakistan Muttahida Student Organization (APMSO), the 
student-wing of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) political party. 
Founded in 1978 by MQM's leader, Altaf Hussain, APMSO is one of the 
largest student-run organizations in Sindh, with 5,000 to 6,000 
student members.  APMSO, which gave rise to MQM in 1984, was 
originally created to support "Mohajirs" or marginalized 
Urdu-speaking immigrants. 
 
--------------- 
Student Support 
--------------- 
¶3. (U) Beyond its role as a recruitment and training hub for MQM 
leadership, APMSO is known as a highly effective student organization 
which has significant leverage within school administrations.  APMSO 
is very active on campuses and provides the services of a traditional 
student organization, including financial assistance, tutoring, 
discussion groups, social networking opportunities, and community 
outreach projects.  The APMSO booth is a regular sight at admissions 
events throughout the province, with APMSO members offering 
assistance with admissions applications or entrance exams. 
 
------------------------ 
The "Mother-Wing" of MQM 
------------------------ 
¶4. (C) According to Waheeduzzaman, APMSO plays a major role in MQM's 
day-to-day operations by promulgating the MQM brand, identifying and 
providing leadership training to future MQM leaders, and by 
harnessing the voice of younger party members in MQM's governing 
Central Coordination Committee.  Waheeduzzaman described APMSO as the 
"mother-wing" of MQM, emphasizing the critical relationship between 
the two organizations.  He explained that APMSO's structure mirrors 
that of MQM, with a governing Central Coordination Committee (CCC) 
comprised of representatives from each of up to nine sectors.  Each 
sector contains multiple units comprised of groups of workers.  The 
CCC has representation from each sector and serves as a forum for 
policy decisions.  The CCC also initiates "fact finding committees" 
to investigate internal complaints against members of the 
organization, with the power to either sanction or remove offending 
members.  All CCC decisions must be endorsed by two-thirds of the 
committee's members. 
 
¶5. (C) While MQM membership is open to the public, members of APMSO 
are required to complete their studies before becoming full members 
of MQM, helping to institutionalize their leadership role within the 
party.  APMSO members receive significant leadership training, 
"ensuring that MQM has a sufficient pool of educated and qualified 
future leaders," Waheeduzzaman said.  Individuals who display 
sufficient aptitude are hand-picked to fill positions in MQM's 
specialty wings or committees.  Waheeduzzaman specifically noted the 
role APMSO alumni play in staffing MQM's Medical Aid Committee and 
Legal Committee, and MQM's NGO, the Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
Perpetrators of Violence or Scapegoats? 
--------------------------------------- 
¶6. (C) Waheeduzzaman acknowledged, but sternly denied, the widespread 
perception that MQM, and to a lesser extent APMSO, use violence for 
political means.  He described all acts of violence associated with 
APMSO or MQM as either isolated incidents or instigated by those no 
longer affiliated with either organization.  He said this 
misperception is part of a larger strategy to isolate MQM in the 
national media by entrenched feudal and political interests 
 
KARACHI 00000362  002 OF 002 
 
 
threatened by MQM's ability to change the "traditional political 
system."  He attributed APMSO and MQM's inability to penetrate the 
rural areas of Sindh to the concerted efforts of these groups. 
 
¶7. (C) Waheeduzzaman attributed the recurring violence in Pakistan's 
schools to the conflict between conservative groups and the more 
progressive, pluralistic groups such as APMSO. He claimed that while 
APMSO has good relations with most student groups, they have always 
been opposed by more conservative groups, such as Islami Jamiat Talba 
(IJT), the youth-wing of the Jamat-e-Islami (JI) political party. 
According to Waheeduzzaman, this stems from the fact that that MQM 
has historically been a major force against violent extremism in 
Karachi and Sindh, noting that Altaf Hussain was one of the first 
national leaders to openly speak out about the dangers of extremism. 
This larger political conflict has trickled down to campuses as these 
conservative groups have been targeting students both as potential 
recruits as well as an audience for their messages.  A co-ed birthday 
celebration at the University of Karachi that was attacked by IJT 
members wielding bats, and the August 2008 clash in Karachi 
University's Art Lobby, which left 4 students dead and another 14 
wounded, demonstrate the potential severity of these incidents. 
 
¶8. (C) Comment:  Post strongly disagrees with APMSO and MQM claims 
that the organization is non-violent.  Acts of violence, whether on 
campus or in Karachi, can be attributed to the party with great 
frequency.  As a result, there is a common view across Pakistan that 
MQM uses violence for political means.  End comment. 
 
FAKAN