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Friday, March 29, 2024

ECP retains Ch. Shujaat as PML-Q president

The ECP, in its verdict, stated that the PML-Q central working committee's move to remove Chaudhry Shujaat as PML-Q president was illegal and declared it null and void.

In a major blow to Parvez Elahi, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has ruled in favor of Chaudhry Shujaat, stating that he will continue to hold PML-Q’s presidential position.

According to the details, the ECP announced its verdict in a petition filed by the former prime minister amid an ongoing tussle with his cousin Parvez Elahi over the party leadership.

The electoral watchdog, in its verdict, stated that the PML-Q central working committee’s move to remove Shujaat as party president was illegal and declared it null and void. It furthered that the elections announced by the central committee were also null and void.

Read more: “Removing Chaudhry Shujaat from presidency of PMLQ impossible”

To clarify, PML-Q has been divided into two camps as Parvez Elahi, his son Moonis, and most of the party leaders sided with the PTI while Chaudhry Shujaat, Salik Hussain, and Tariq Bashir Cheema supported the PML-N.

Furthermore, during the Punjab Chief Minister election last year, Chaudhry Shujaat at the last moment turned against Parvez Elahi and instructed his MPAs to vote for PML-N’s candidate.

As a result, Pervaiz Elahi’s group decided to remove Shujaat and General Secretary Tariq Bashir Cheema from the party’s top posts. Central Working Committee (CWC) of PML-Q decided to release Shujaat from the duties of party president, citing health concerns.

“It has become necessary to isolate Shujaat to save the party from destruction,” Senator Kamil Ali Agha had said at the time.

Moreover, the CWC also constituted an election body to hold intra-party polls where Parvez Elahi was elected unopposed as PML-Q Punjab President.

However, Chaudhry Shujaat approached the ECP over the matter and it retained him as the president of the party till the petition was dealt with. The electoral body after hearing the plea reserved the verdict in the case on August 18, 2022.

Read more: PTI’s Fawad claims Ch. Shujaat can’t make decisions due to illness