ISLAMABAD Oct 19: The parliamentary group of the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) on Saturday elected Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain its leader in the National Assembly and empowered him to nominate a candidate for prime minister.

After the group’s meeting, Sardar Zafarullah Khan Jamali, who had emerged as a consensus candidate for the highest office, told newsmen that Chaudhry Shujaat had been authorized to nominate anyone from the party as the prime ministerial candidate.

Party spokesman Azeem Chaudhry, however, said that the question of the nomination of a candidate for the top slot had never come up at the group’s meeting.

The parliamentary group also empowered Chaudhry Shujaat, on his request, to decide whether the party should form its government or sit on the opposition benches.

In reply to a question whether the name of Zubaida Jalal had come under discussion as a candidate for prime minister, the party spokesman said: “The late comers always sit on back benches”.

Through a resolution presented by Majeed Malik, the parliamentary group demanded of the government to invite it to form its governments in the Centre, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan where it had majority or it can muster the required majority.

The party, through another resolution, vowed to work for the restoration of Constitution, supremacy of parliament, restoration of democracy, strengthening of institutions and creating consensus among various sections of society. The party reiterated its commitment with the international coalition against terrorism that it would continue condemning all sorts of terrorism on the basis of religion and would cooperate with international forces in its eradication.