Salik, Cheema say Shujaat still party head
After the emergence of apparent differences within the party ranks, the Pakistan Muslim League–Q general council on Thursday removed Ch Shujaat Hussain as the party chief.
The decision was made during a consultative meeting of the party held at the Pakistan Muslim League House in Lahore.
Brother of Shujaat, Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain, has been given the command of the PML-Q. The meeting also removed Shujaat’s close aide, Tariq Bashir Cheema, and selected Kamil Ali Agha as the central secretary-general of the party.
The development comes days after Shujaat had suspended the basic membership of Chaudhry Parvez Elahi — for his statement about a possible merger with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
A show-cause notice served to Elahi mentioned that a meeting of the PML-Q, chaired by Shujaat, noted that the provincial president, Elahi, did not have the authority to merge the party with PTI.
“Your [Elahi] party membership is suspended until the explanation,” read the notice. A copy of which has also been sent to the Election Commission of Pakistan, it added.
In response to the latest move, PML-Q leader and Minister for National Food Security Tariq Bashir Cheema said that Shujaat is the party’s president and “serious members” still stand with him.
