At the moment, Altaf's arrest has strengthened the PTI's stance. The MQM-P, on the other hand, may find itself in a difficult position: either they speak out against the treatment meted to Altaf, or remain silent.
Altaf's influence has diminished over the past few years. This was obviously one of the major goals of the Karachi operation, but he also did himself and the MQM no favors by not listening to those around him and delivering those speeches, that too in such a heavily securitized environment. I believe at the moment his influence is limited to his loyalists who are only able to pass on his messages behind closed doors.
NAB arrests Hamza Shahbaz
In another major political development in Pakistan, anti-graft body of Pakistan, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested Hamza Shahbaz, media reports said Tuesday (June 11).
Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz's interim bail was rejected by the Lahore High Court in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case and assets beyond means sources of income cases.
The two-member bench comprising Justice Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Shahid Waheed Khan heard petitions of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader as he appears before the LHC following the expiration of his interim bail expired today.
Hamza, along with his father Opposition Leader in National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif, were indicted in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case on April 9.
This comes a day after former president Asif Ali Zardari was arrested in Islamabad after the high court cancelled his bail in a money-laundering case.
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, is already in prison for assets-beyond-means cases.
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