PML-Q fires Ch Shujat, Cheema as rift widens within party

Shujat’s spokesperson questions legality of party’s CWC meeting.

LAHORE   -   In a bid to preempt any ad­verse move by Ch Shujat Hus­sain, the party faction led by Ch Parvez Elahi on Thursday called a meeting of the party’s Central Working Committee (CWC) which recommend­ed removal of Ch Shujat and Tariq Bashir Cheema from the party through intra-par­ty elections.

Addressing a press confer­ence after the meeting, Sen­ator Kamil Ali Agha said that the decision to expel Ch Shujat from the party has been tak­en owing to his deteriorating health. “Ch Shujat’s heath is affecting the party decisions and it has been decided to remove him from the par­ty”, he said, adding that Tariq Bashir Cheema, the party secretary general, would also be removed as per recommendations of the party’s CWC.

Kamil Agha who chaired the meeting further stated that a five-member Elec­tion Commission had been constituted to elect new office bearers of the par­ty including the new party president. “The intra-par­ty elections will be held within ten days”, he added.

The move comes days after Ch Shujat directed members of PML-Q’s par­liamentary meeting in Punjab Assembly to vote for Hamza Shehbaz Shar­if instead of Ch Parvez Ela­hi in the election for Pun­jab chief minister held on July 22 on the orders of the Supreme Court. Sub­sequently, Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari declared Hamza Shehbaz elected as CM after sub­tracting 10 votes of the PML-Q MPAs.

However, the Supreme Court later declared Ch Parvez Elahi as the elect­ed chief minister after setting aside the depu­ty speaker’s ruling. It has been learnt that Ch Parvez Elahi’s camp had the fear that Ch Shujat might also write yet another letter to the Assembly speaker and the Election Commis­sion of Pakistan to de-seat the party MPAs for vot­ing against the directions of the party head. Article 63-A of the Constitution empowers the party head to initiate the process for disqualification of the par­ty members who vote in violation of the party line.

On the other hand, a spokesperson for Ch Shu­jat Hussain questioned the very legality of the meet­ing which he said cannot be called without the con­sent of the party head