ISLAMABAD Jan 11: Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain was declared elected unopposed President of Pakistan Muslim League-Q by the party’s general council meeting here on Saturday.

Later, the 940-strong general council endorsed his election for a three-year period by a show of hands.

Similarly, the nomination of Salim Saifullah Khan as the party’s secretary general was also confirmed unopposed by the central executive committee.

Later, speaking to the general council after his election, Chaudhry Shujaat declared “elimination of poverty and people’s service” as the party’s motto. He appealed to the party ministers, MNAs and MPAs to remember this motto and work for its accomplishment.

He said he would stand by, and fully support, the oppressed people and raise voice for their rights. He said as Muslims, “we are bound by duty to confront the coercer against the coerced, even if he be a non-Muslim.”

Shujaat asked the big world powers to review their policies towards the smaller nations as “no other power but Allah Almighty was the superpower on earth.”

The present elected government in Pakistan, he said, will take guidance from the party. The party workers and legislators will no more be ignored in policy-making and implementation process and they will be accorded full respect.

HE SAID: “We will be concentrating our energies on the weaker elements of society, particularly the womenfolk, who are the other half of our population. Their role in the country’s construction and development cannot be overemphasized”.

“Our government will endeavour that the womenfolk took forward steps in all spheres of society and, similarly, the minorities’ rights were protected,” said the newly-elected party president.

Pakistan Muslim League, he said, will promote healthy democratic traditions in the country. He called upon all the politicians to mount an effort to put the country on strong democratic foundations.

He said everyone should work for tolerance and shun personal ego in the larger interest of the country.

“Henceforth, we start a new chapter in Pakistan with a conciliatory spirit. We will keep our promises with the masses and ameliorate their lot.”

Earlier, the newly-elected party secretary general, Salim Saifullah Khan said the PML-Q had created a new tradition by giving the top party offices to those not in the government.

He said Chaudhry Shujaat had also set a tradition of sacrificing the prime minister’s office, although it was within his reach after becoming the parliamentary leader of the party in the National Assembly.

Earlier, the party general council passed a number of resolutions. One such resolution condemned the discriminatory treatment being meted out to the Pakistani immigrants in the US and demanded of the American administration to regularise those who had overstayed there and release those who had been detained.

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