When Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the leader of the PML-Q, decided not to support the PTI’s candidate for chief minister of Punjab, his own relative Pervez Elahi, Senior Vice President of the PTI Fawad Chaudhry claimed that the former prime minister’s decision-making capacity is “limited due to his illness.”
Chaudhary Shujaat
The PTI and PML-Q appeared to have the numbers necessary to win the CM Punjab election yesterday, but at the last minute, Shujaat requested that his party’s MPAs vote in favor of Hamza Shahbaz.
However, the lawmakers voted for Elahi, the joint candidate of the PML-Q and the PTI, and thus, in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Article 63A, Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari dismissed their votes.
Elahi originally received 186 votes, but after the deputy speaker’s ruling, the PML-Q leader received only 176 votes, while Hamza received 179 votes.
Elahi then appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.
Fawad told journalists today that Shujaat’s thumb impressions were “taken on a blank paper” in response to the game-changing last-minute move.
The PTI leader lashed out at Mazari for rejecting the PML-Q votes, claiming that the deputy speaker “stole” the people’s mandate.
“Senior legal experts believe that the deputy speaker’s ruling violates the Constitution,” he said, adding that the Supreme Court should summon Mazari on contempt of court charges.
The PTI leader hoped that the Supreme Court would rule in their favour.
Fawad claimed that the deputy speaker’s actions were unethical and violated the Constitution.
“We have now moved the Supreme Court for justice,” the PTI leader said, urging the country’s “powerful forces” not to “play” with it. “Hamza is not an elected Punjab chief minister,” he said.
Fawad lashed out at PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, whose last-ditch effort allowed Hamza to retain his position as CM Punjab, saying that Pakistan cannot bear the brunt of Zardari’s “politics.”
