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Altaf Hussain Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 3, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth17 September 1953

Age66 Years (as listed in the excerpt)

BirthplaceKarachi, Pakistan

ProfessionPolitician, Pharmacist

NationalityPakistani and British

Marital statusDivorced

SpouseFaiza Gabol (m. 2001; d. 2007)

FamilyDaughter - Afza Altaf; Father - Nazir Hussain; Mother - Khursheed Begum

Altaf Hussain Biography

Altaf Hussain is a Pakistani-born politician and pharmacist best known as the founder and leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). Born in Karachi in

Early life and background

Altaf Hussain was born on 17 September 1953 in Karachi, Pakistan. He completed school in Azizabad, Karachi, and went on to study at Islamia Science College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in 1974. He later received a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Government National College in 1979. His father, Nazir Hussain, worked in the Indian Railways as a station master, and his mother, Khursheed Begum, was a homemaker. His family traces its roots to Agra in pre‑Partition British India.

Career

Hussain’s political activity began in student politics. He founded the All Pakistan Muhajir Students Organisation (APMSO) on 11 June 1978. The student movement grew quickly; by 1980 his group performed strongly in college elections. He converted APMSO into the student wing of a broader political movement and later established the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to represent the Urdu‑speaking community that had migrated to Pakistan at Partition.

Through the 1980s and into the 1990s, MQM emerged as a significant force in urban Sindh. After high‑profile events in the mid‑1980s, including his first large rally in Hyderabad in October 1986, the party consolidated support among middle‑class Urdu speakers. In the 1988 Pakistani general election MQM won multiple seats and became one of the larger parties in the national assembly. Despite the party’s electoral success, Hussain himself never stood as a candidate in national elections.

Hussain has combined his political role with a professional background in pharmacy; early in his career he worked as a trainee at Karachi Adventist Hospital and at a multinational pharmaceutical company in Karachi.

Exile, leadership from abroad and later developments

In December 1991 Hussain relocated to London. He continued to lead MQM from the United Kingdom and was later granted British citizenship while retaining Pakistani nationality. From London he remained influential in Pakistani politics and continued to address supporters via public events and social media.

Over the years his leadership has been controversial. The excerpt records multiple allegations and disputes that have surrounded his party and his speeches, and notes several high‑profile episodes in which tensions between MQM and Pakistani state institutions intensified. In 2008 he travelled to India for a summit and met Indian political figures. In 2015 he requested asylum in India, and in November 2019 he again appealed to the Indian prime minister for asylum and to be allowed to visit his grandparents’ graves.

In June 2019 he was arrested by London police under allegations that included money laundering and encouraging terrorism by delivering incendiary speeches that allegedly incited violence in Pakistan; he was granted bail the following month.

Public profile

Hussain is commonly described in media portrayals as a powerful political figure who has often been physically absent from Pakistan while exercising influence there. He holds dual nationality: Pakistani and British. Personal details reported in public records include a marriage in 2001 to Faiza Gabol; the marriage ended in divorce and the couple had a daughter, Afza Altaf. He is identified with the Arain caste and follows Islam. Physical descriptions in the public domain list his height at approximately 168 cm (about 5 feet 6 inches), with black hair and black eyes.

Hobbies and personal interests noted in public materials include cooking and writing poetry. His early activism included arrests for political protest, including a 1979 imprisonment for demonstrating at Mazar‑e‑Quaid and an arrest following his 1986 rally in Pacco Qillo; charges from the latter episode were later dropped.

Latest updates

The excerpt records Hussain’s arrest in London on 11 June 2019 and his subsequent release on bail about a month later. It also notes his public requests for asylum in India in 2015 and again in late 2019, when he publicly asked to be allowed to visit family graves in India and sought refuge for himself and colleagues.

Across decades, Altaf Hussain has remained a polarizing figure: credited with organizing and mobilizing a significant urban constituency while also facing sustained controversy and legal challenges. He continues to be identified primarily with the MQM and with his long record of political engagement on behalf of the Urdu‑speaking community originating from the Partition era.
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Recent Work

Appeal for asylum in India

In November 2019 Altaf Hussain publicly appealed to the Indian prime minister for asylum and to be allowed to visit his grandparents' graves; he had earlier requested asylum in India in 2015.

2019
Arrest and bail in London

On 11 June 2019 he was arrested in London on allegations including money laundering and encouraging terrorism; he was granted bail about a month later.

2019
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Career Highlights

  1. Founded the All Pakistan Muhajir Students Organisation (APMSO) on 11 June 1978
  2. Established the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and led it from the 1980s onward
  3. MQM won several seats in the 1988 Pakistani general election and became one of the country’s larger parties
  4. Led MQM from London after relocating there in December 1991 and later obtained British citizenship
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Altaf Hussain born?

17 September 1953

What is Altaf Hussain known for?

Politician, Pharmacist

What is Altaf Hussain’s marital status?

Divorced

Who is Altaf Hussain married to?

Faiza Gabol (m. 2001; d. 2007)