Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain is one of the senior political leaders and founder of the well-known political party Pakistan Muslim League Q of Pakistan. The Chaudhary family has deep roots in politics, especially the politics of Punjab.
Biography and Family Background
Chaudhry Shujaat was born on January 27, 1940. He belongs to a versatile family. The family has a variety of businesses, including sugar, floor & textile mills. The family has agricultural land and farms. His father, Chaudhary Zahoor Elahi, was a prominent politician.
Chaudhary Zahoor was secretary general of the Muslim League. He was an opponent of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The opposition first resulted in the imprisonment of Zahoor Elahi; later, he was killed in 1981 by a terrorist gang run by Murtaza Bhutto.
His brother, Pervaiz Elahi, is also a very famous politician. Pervaiz was associated with the Pakistan Muslim League, and people say that Nawaz Sharif promised him to be Chief Minister of Punjab in the 1977 elections. Still, after winning the elections, Shahbaz Sharif was made the Chief Minister of Punjab.
Later, Pervaiz joined Imran Khan and remained on important posts during Imran Khan’s government. Currently, he is in jail and facing multiple corruption and other cases.
Education
Chaudhry Shujaat belongs to the Punjab Jat family. Shujat started his early education in the public schools of Gujarat. After maturing, he joined Forman Christian College for further instruction. Shujat completed his BBA in 1965.
For further education, he left for the UK to get a degree in Industrial management.
Politics
Chaudhry Shujaat joined the Pakistan Muslim League after the death of his father. In the 1981 elections, he became a member of parliament. Later, he joined the financial department of the Punjab government.
In 1985, he won the National and Provincial assembly elections. He was contesting from his native town, Gujrat. Later, he left the Provincial assembly seat and remained a member of the National Assembly.
Political and Financial Boom
Shujaat had close ties with General Zia-ul-Haq when Zia was the President of Pakistan. He has taken full benefit from Zia’s economic policies. He has invested in industry and stocks and earned a lot of money.
Shujaat remained Industry Minister in the regime of Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo. In addition, he has other ministries, including the Ministry of Information and Mass-media Broadcasting and the Ministry of Defence Production.
Chaudhary Shujaat remained the parliamentary party leader of PMLN. He was successfully elected in the elections of 1990 and 1997 and remained Interior Minister. At that time, he had close ties with Mian Nawaz Sharif. From 1997 to 1999, he also served as President of the PMLN in the Punjab province.
Later, Shujaat came into disagreement with Nawaz. After the clash between Nawaz Sharif and Pervaiz Musharaf, when Nawaz was sent to Saudi Arabia on political exile, Shujaat became an opponent of Nawaz Sharif. He formed his own party, Pakistan Muslim League Q. Shujaat became the President of the party.
Prime Minister of Pakistan
Chaudhry Shujaat remained very influential throughout his political career. Due to his support, Zafarullah Khan Jamali became Prime Minister of Pakistan. Zafarullah was the first Baloch Prime Minister.
He brought Shaukat Aziz into Pakistan’s politics. Shaukat was made Finance Minister in the National Assembly. Later, Zafarullah Jamil resigned and Shujaat proposed Shakat Aziz as Prime Minister.
Technically, being a senate member, Shaukat was ineligible to be elected as Prime Minister; therefore, Shujaat became Prime Minister temporarily.
Imprisonment
The rivalry between the Chaudhary and Bhutto family continued. In 1994, DG Rahman Malik filed a case against Shujaat in the second tenure of Benazir Bhutto. As a result, the police arrested him and sent him to jail.
Honorary Consul General
Shujaat tried to extend trading relations between Pakistan and Korea. Due to his efforts, South Korea made heavy investments in Pakistan. The Korean government made Shujaat “Honorary Consul General” of the Republic of Korea to pay tribute to the efforts.
Books
There are two books by him. The first book, “This is the Truth”, was published by Firoz Shah Publications in 2018. The second book, “Shujaat the Man: Scholar’s Eye View”, was published by Sanj Publishers in 2020.
Conclusion
To conclude, Chaudhry Shujaat has had a very influential role in Pakistan’s politics. He has close ties with top leadership and rulers of Pakistan. On the other hand, he has strong political enemies. His family is still facing difficult times in politics.