-Choudhry Shujaat removed as PML-Q Chief for health issues, while Cheema fired for conspiracy theories
-Party’s CEC decides to hold new Intra-party elections within ten days
From Abid Usman
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) on Thursday announced to remove Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain from the post of party president.
While briefing media regarding decisions taken in PML-Q’s Central Executive Committee, PML-Q senior leader Kamil Ali Agha said the meeting has decided to remove Chaudhry Shujaat Hussian as party chief owing to his deteriorating health.
The party also decided to remove Tariq Bashir Cheema from the post of General Secretary, he said.
Qamil Agha further said that the meeting has decided to hold new Intra-party elections within ten days. “For inter-party elections, a five-member Election Commission has been established,” he said.
The decision to remove Shujaat as party chief comes days after the latter decided to support PML-N’s Hamza Shahbaz against Parvez Elahi in the election for Punjab chief minister’s office.
Elahi was declared loser despite obtaining 186 votes against Hamza’s 179 votes as Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari rejected 10 votes of PML-Q on advice of Shujaat.
Consequently, the Supreme Court nullified Hamza’s election and declared Elahi the chief minister of Punjab. Elahi took oath of his office immediately after the court verdict.
PTI Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Raja Basharat had countered the ruling of PA Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari, saying that the law states that the parliamentary party could issue instructions to party members.
He pointed out that the party chief was not authorized to give such instructions if the parliamentary party had decided to vote a certain candidate.
He also read the order of the Supreme Court. “The head of the parliamentary party is Parvez Elahi,” he contended.
However, Mazari said that the matter had been clarified by the Supreme Court, subsequently proroguing the session.
