ECP suspends PML-Q intra-party polls

Salik says ‘illegal’ attempt was made to remove his father Shujaat as party president

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday postponed the PML-Q's intra-party elections scheduled for August 10.

A four-member bench of the ECP, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, on a plea filed by PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, restrained the party from holding intra-party polls and adjourned the hearing till August 16.

The ECP also issued a notice to the party.

Shujaat had filed an application with the ECP to stop intra-party elections, while the party had also issued a show-cause notice to Punjab Secretary General Kamil Ali Agha.

Shujaat had made his cousin, Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, provincial secretary general and central chairman of the PML-Q party to the petition.

He had stated in the petition that the intra-party elections were scheduled for August 10 without the permission of the party president and secretary general.

PML-Q Central Secretary General Tariq Bashir Cheema had issued a notice to Punjab Secretary General Agha on the instructions of the party chief.

Agha had been asked to explain within seven days the “unconstitutional and illegal removal” of the president and the central secretary general.

The notice had also declared the July 22 meeting illegal and unconstitutional. It had read that under the party’s constitution and the Election Commission Party Act, no provincial official was justified in dismissing the central officials.

The notice had stated that Agha was guilty of intentionally harming the position of Shujaat by taking unconstitutional measures.

Speaking to reporters after the ECP hearing, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Shujaat’s son, maintained that an “illegal” attempt was made to remove the party president.

He added that a party meeting was called illegally and a show-cause notice had been sent to Agha.
“Disciplinary action will be taken against those who voted against the party,” he added.

On a reporter’s query as to whether or not it was PPP Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari, who created a rift between the Chaudhry brothers, Salik replied that he did not understand as both were on the same page until recently.

The once-united family has recently shown signs of widening gaps. While reports hinted toward this time and time again, the suspicions were only confirmed when Shujaat’s letter against Elahi’s candidature for the provincial chief minister slot hindered his chances of success.

Following the PTI's victory in the by-elections, Elahi had the required numbers to clinch Punjab’s top slot, but Shujaat directed his party’s lawmakers to vote for PML-N's Hamza Shehbaz.

Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari accepted Shujaat’s stance and rejected the votes of 10 PML-Q lawmakers. This ruling was, however, dismissed by the Supreme Court, which declared Elahi the winner of the election.

On top of this, last week, the party’s Central Working Committee (CWC) met with Agha in the chair. Various resolutions were passed in the meeting.

Later, addressing the media, Agha had said they had “unanimously decided to remove Shujaat from the party president’s position because his health condition has badly affected his decision power”.

He had also announced that they had decided to oust Cheema “for using the party for his vested interests and hatching conspiracies”.

As the intra-party tussle continued, Shujaat, flanked by Cheema, had held a news conference in Lahore, wherein he termed the reports of rifts within the party “false narratives”, and called for a reunion of the party.