Vice-president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who won Multan’s NA-156 seat by defeating rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Amir Saeed Ansari with 93,497 votes, may become the country's next foreign minister at a crucial time. Born in Murree, Qureshi was a member of the Pakistan National Assembly from 2002 to 2018 and had been the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan between 2008 to 2011. In election 2018, the defeat of Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the provincial assembly constituency PP-127 has shattered his dream of becoming Punjab chief minister. Mr Qureshi was defeated by an independent candidate, Salman Naeem, who was once his close ally. Mr Naeem, is known for his charitable works in the constituency he won in his first election as an independent candidate after being denied PTI ticket. According to sources, the party refused ticket to Mr Naeem because the PTI chairman had decided to contest the election from the constituency. They say that Mr Naeem was more suitable for the constituency because he had been working there long before Mr Qureshi entered the arena using his position in the PTI. Mr Naeem has been assured of the party ticket for PP-127 by none other than Mr Qureshi himself, they add.
