Chaudhry Shujaat, a graduate of Forman Christian College University, Lahore, became a member of the federal parliament (Majlis-e-Shoora) in 1981 and until 1985 when he contested in the general election from Gujrat on both the National and Punjab Assemblies seats. After the elections he had to vacate his Punjab Assembly seat in favour of the National Assembly seat he had one and he became a member of the then Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo’s cabinet as the Industries Minister. He served a further 4 terms as a member of the national assembly after being elected (1988, 1990, 1997, 2002). He also acted as the parliamentary party leader of the PML-N in the National Assembly. Over the years he held several portfolios as a Federal Minister including Information and Broadcasting (1986), Industries and Production (1987–1988), Interior (1990–1993), and Interior & Narcotics Control (1997–1999). Chaudhry Shujaat was an active political leader as well, heading the Parliamentary Party of Joint Opposition in the National Assembly from 1988 to 1990. He was President of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) in Punjab from 1997 to 1999, led the Parliamentary Party then called PML-Q beginning in December 2002, was President of the Pakistan Muslim League in January 2003 and was elected President of Pakistan Muslim League on May 12 2004.
On the international scene, he has been named an Honorary Consul General in the Republic of Korea (1982) and was awarded Korea's highest diplomatic award Order of the Diplomatic Service Merit "Ueung-in-Metal" for distinguished services in promoting mutual relations between Pakistan and Republic of Korea.
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, then Pakistan's interim Prime Minister, sees off U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, after their July 2004 meeting at the Prime Minister's residence in Islamabad, Pakistan.
After the Nawaz Sharif government was overthrown by General Pervez Musharraf on October 12, 1999, several PML-N dissidents formed a group under Mian Muhammad Azhar's leadership. Earlier, Chaudhry Shujaat did not join any group, but after Nawaz Sharif's exile, he also joined Mian Azhar and formed the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) in March 2001. In the general election of October 2002, Chaudhry Shujaat was elected to the National Assembly. He has also been elected unopposed for three years in a row as president of the PML (Q), which was Pakistan's ruling party from 2006 to 2008.
