ISLAMABAD: Surviving his closest brush with a defeat in the country’s political capital, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif heaved a sigh of relief and thanked PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain for their role in “the victory of democracy and constitutional values”.
The PML-N-led ruling coalition took a victory lap after it surprisingly managed to retain the control of Punjab’s throne in the nail-biting run-off elections for the chief minister which took a dramatic shift after a letter from Shujaat turned the tide.
“His [Chaudhry Shujaat’s] role is the victory of democracy and constitutional values and I pay tribute to him for his contributions,” he wrote on Twitter, adding that former president Asif Ali Zardari has also played a “historic role” in his political maturity as he pulled the country out of the crisis.
The premier also thanked all coalition parties and their respected leaders for the political insight, unity, and support due to which the “democracy won”.
Shujaat’s letter – which became the basis on which votes for Elahi were disregarded – had instructed party leaders to not vote for PTI’s candidate and had come a day after Asif Ali Zardari held a meeting with him. However, at the time, Hussain had ruled out the existence of any such letter.
Read more: Pervaiz Elahi wins, but Hamza Shehbaz took as Chief Minister
