In a shock result, PML-Q’s PTI-backed candidate Parvez Elahi has lost the Punjab chief minister’s election to PML-N’s Hamza Elahi, after Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari ruled that PML-Q members’ votes will not be counted in the election of Punjab chief minister in light of party head Chaudhry Shujaat’s letter.

According to Mazari, Shehbaz received 179 votes whereas Elahi garnered 176 votes, but only after 10 votes of Elahi’s own party were ruled out from the counting process.

His ruling was countered by PTI MPA Raja Basharat, who said that the law states that the parliamentary party could issue instructions to party members.

“The head of the parliamentary party is Parvez Elahi,” he contended.

However, Mazari said that the matter had been clarified by the Supreme Court, subsequently proroguing the session.

While the voting was underway inside the House, unconfirmed reports were circulating outside that PML-Q Chairperson Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had written a letter distancing himself from Elahi’s candidacy.

The development comes a day after PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari met Shujaat. Earlier, in response to reports that PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari had asked Shujaat to write a letter instructing PML-Q MPAs not to vote for Elahi, Shujaat said there was “no question” of issuing a letter.

Geo News journalist Hamid Mir quoted PML-Q’s Moonis Elahi as saying that Shujaat had refused to back Parvez as PTI’s candidate. Soon after, however, Moonis tweeted that a joint parliamentary meeting of PML-Q and PTI had unanimously agreed upon Parvez as their candidate for the election.