Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain
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Chaudhry Shujat Hussain (born 1946) is a politician from Pakistan who was the Prime Minister of that country from June 30, 2004 until August 28 2004. He is from the state of Punjab and his brother is the chief minister of that state. Though he has been described as being politically inarticulate, and he suffers from poor health, Mr Hussain has nevertheless shown himself to be a master of "realpolitik".
Hussein's family had no political background until his father Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi, a police constable, became a local councillor in the early 1950s.
Through politics the family became an industrial powerhouse, involved in sugar, textiles, flour mills and agriculture. In the process they have survived several financial scandals and possible criminal proscecutions simply by backing the right political horse - the Pakistan military
Elahi connected his family to the elite of the country through a web of marriages.
Chaudhry's family supported the leaders of Pakistan's military regimes, such as General Ayub Khan (1958-68), General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (1977-88) and the current president, General Pervez Pervez Musharraf (since Oct 1999).
Mr Hussain himself entered politics in 1982 after his father was murdered - allegedly by political opponents.
General Zia chose him as a member of his hand-picked consultative body, the Majlis-e-Shoora, and later made him a federal minister.
Hussein has won four elections to parliament since 1985, chiefly on the strength of his Jat clan.
Mr Hussain also served as a federal minister under prime ministers Muhammad Khan Junejo and Nawaz Sharif.
He has always retained links with the military. When Mr Sharif was ousted by General Musharraf, Mr Hussain quickly distanced himself from the premier.
After Mr Sharif was sent into exile in December 2000, Mr Hussain worked to split the Pakistan Muslim League, forming a faction supportive of now President Musharraf.
This party, of which Mr Hussain is president, is now ruling the country.
Mr Hussain, known as a down-to-earth politician and a poor orator, has longstanding connections with Gen. Musharraf - both studied at Lahore's Forman Christian College.
Mr Hussain had helped his old friend Zafarullah Khan Jamali, a politician from Balochistan, to become prime minister in November 2002, but along with President Musharraf became dissatisfied with his performance.
Mr Jamali was eased out and resigned on 26 June, 2004. Mr Hussain was the 20th prime minister of Pakistan and the 11th in the past 20 years. He resigned two months after taking office, when finance minister Shaukat Aziz, who had already been nominated, took over upon attaining eligibility by being elected to the National Assembly.
External Links
- Chronicles Of Pakistan (http://pakistanspace.tripod.com/47.htm)