After completing graduation, Altaf Husain got a job with the government in Kolkata and was in charge of spreading information to the public from 1942 to 1943. He then went to work for the Indian government in their information department, giving advice about the press. Despite working for the Indian government, he started writing political articles for the newspaper “Statesman” in Calcutta. He wrote a column every two weeks called “Through the Muslim Eyes” under a pen name, Ain-el-Mulk, to express the perspective of Muslims.

Altaf Husain left his job in the Indian government and started writing for the newspaper “Statesman” under the pen name “Shaheed.” He also wrote for another newspaper called “Star of India.” His writing was so good that the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, wanted to meet him. Later, Jinnah asked Altaf to be the editor-in-chief of a newspaper called “Dawn” which Jinnah had started in 1945. Altaf took over this job in 1944 and started his work in “Dawn”.

Altaf Husain was an important person in the creation of Pakistan. He was the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Dawn” and was trusted by the leader of the independence movement, Jinnah. He helped make Pakistan a separate country for Muslims and was a powerful voice outside of the government. After Pakistan was created, he moved the newspaper to Karachi and continued to be its editor until 1965. He also taught journalism at a university in Karachi. He spoke out against the idea of separating East Pakistan from the rest of Pakistan.

In 1965, President Ayub Khan asked Altaf Husain to join the government, which was surprising to many. He became the Industry Minister of Pakistan and helped with the fast growth of industry and the selling of government-owned companies to private owners. He kept this job until 1968 when he quit because of poor health.