Shujaat Hussain

Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain (Urdu: چودھری شجاعت حسین, born 27 January 1946) is a Pakistani politician who served as 14th prime minister of Pakistan. Hussain is the party president of the PML(Q) since 2003.

Hailing from the business-industrialist Chaudhry family from the Punjab province of Pakistan, Hussain graduated from the Forman Christian College University and the University of Punjab. After his graduation, Hussain subsequently joined the family business comprising large numbers of industries, textiles, agricultural farms, sugar and flour mills. He successfully contested in the non-partisan 1985 elections and was appointed as minister of industry in the government of Prime minister Muhammad Junejo, lasting until 1988. Hussain became a leader and influential conservative figure in the Islamic Democratic Alliance (IDA) between 1988 and 1990 and joined the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) under Nawaz Sharif in 1993. Hussain served as the 26thInterior minister in the government of Prime minister Nawaz Sharif in two non-consecutive terms from 1990 to 1993 and 1997 to 1999.

Originally a loyalist of Nawaz Sharif, Hussain defected to autocratic leader Pervez Musharraf after 1999 and became member of the new PML-Q.

His family remains influential in national politics and his cousin and brother-in-law Pervez Illahi served as Chief Minister of Punjab 2007 Twice, from 2002 to 2007 during Musharraf's military rule and in 2022.

Following the 2008 elections and Musharraf's resignation, Hussain and his party became a major ally of Prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and President Asif Ali Zardari from the Pakistan Peoples Party.