ECP reinstates Chaudhry Shujaat as PML-Q president

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has suspended the intra-party elections of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) scheduled to be held on August 10.

PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had filed an application with the ECP to stop intra-party elections. Shujaat has made Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Punjab secretary general, central chairman and the commission as respondents to the petition.

He stated in the petition that the intra-party elections are scheduled for August 10 without the permission of the party president and secretary general. He has requested the commission to issue a notice to halt the polls.

The party has also issued a show-cause notice to Punjab Secretary General Kamil Ali Agha. He has been asked to explain the “unconstitutional and illegal removal” of the president and secretary general. The notice also declared the July 22 meeting of the party Central Working Committee illegal and unconstitutional.

A four-member bench heard Chaudhry Shujaat’s application after he was unceremoniously removed as party chief.  During the hearing on Friday, Chaudhry Shujaat’s lawyer Barrister Umar Aslam contended that there cannot be two party presidents at the same time as intra-party elections were held in 2021.

He said surprisingly there was no procedure to remove a democratically-elected party president and only disciplinary action can only be taken against an official. He said a meeting of the central working committee presided by Kamil Ali Agha removed Chaudhry Shujaat and Tahir Bashir Cheema from their posts.

He said Kamil Ali Agha is the party’s provincial secretary in Punjab. He added the party has not sent any notification to the Election Commission regarding the removal of the party president.

He said there are 200 members of the central working committee, out of which 50 nominate the party president. He said those present in the meeting were not members of the election committee. He said the party president cannot be removed until death or resignation

Justice Ikramullah Khan asked if the Central Working Committee does not have the authority to remove the party president. The lawyer replied that the president can only be changed in intra-party election.

He said the election committee has released the schedule for intra-party elections which is illegal and unconstitutional as no notification has been issued for removal of party president.  He said Chaudhry Shujaat and Tariq Bashir Cheema are still party officials.

The ECP suspended the intra-party election scheduled for August 10 and issued notice to all respondents. The panel retained Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as party president and Tahir Bashir Cheem as Secretary General. The hearing has been adjourned till August 16.

Last week, the PML-Q’s Central Working Committee (CWC) met with Agha in the chair and decided to remove Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain from the party president’s position. Agha also announced that they had decided to oust Cheema for using the party for his vested interests and hatching conspiracies.

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