LAHORE - Ahead of an anticipated trust vote to be obtained by Prime Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif from the National Assembly, the PML-Q president Ch Shujat Hussain has removed Ch Moonis Elahi as the leader of the parliamentary party, it was learnt.
The move aims to preempt a constitutional obligation on three PML-Q MNAs loyal to Ch Shujat Hussain to abstain from voting on the direction of Moonis Elahi during an anticipated trust vote to be sought by PM Shehbaz Sharif.
The PTI had announced last week that it was planning to force PM Shehbaz Sharif to obtain a vote of confidence from the National Assembly on the advice of the president. According to sources, Federal Minister for National Food Security Tariq Bashir Cheema has been appointed as the new parliamentary leader of PML-Q in the National Assembly since the majority of the members have reposed confidence in him. Tariq Bashir Cheema will be responsible for executing the directions issued by Shujat Hussain. The PML-Q has five MNAs in the National Assembly. After the split in the party, two of them, Moonis Elahi and Hussain Elahi have joined hands with the PTI while rest of the three which include Ch Salik Hussain, Tariq Bashir Cheema and a Woman MNA Farukh Khan are still loyal with the party president Ch Shujat Hussain. It may be mentioned here that in the light of a Supreme Court judgment, it is the head of the parliamentary party who directs other members to vote for any candidate in the Assembly.
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