Islamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday called his 16-month-long tenure as the “most difficult” test of his life, Dawn reported.
Lashing out at former Pakistan PM Imran Khan and his dispensation, Shehbaz Sharif said his government had to “bear the burden of the previous government’s failure and negligence”.
In his farewell speech at the National Assembly (NA) on Wednesday, Shehbaz Sharif said, “I never had to go through such a difficult test before in my 38-year-long [political] career as the country was mired in a severe economic crisis, oil prices remained high and there was political chaos.”
Sharif said his government faced several challenges and difficulties during his 16-month-long tenure. He added, “We had to bear the burden of the previous government’s failure and negligence”, Dawn reported.
Further, during his farewell address, Sharif said he will hold a meeting with the leader of the Opposition Raja Riaz on Thursday to discuss the candidates for Pakistan’s caretaker PM.
He said, “Tomorrow will be our first meeting, and as per the Constitution, we will have three days to reach a decision.”
Sharif began and ended his speech by expressing gratitude to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for electing him as the PM and showcasing confidence in him and backing him throughout his tenure, according to the Dawn.
He said that his government did “not send any political rival to jail or bothered them unfairly. This was never our practice”.
In an apparent reference to the former Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s conviction, Shehbaz Sharif said if a leader of a party was put behind bars today, “we are not happy about it”.
He added, “And if some people have distributed sweets [to celebrate the punishment], it is not right. It is not a good tradition”, Dawn reported.
He condemned the May 9 incident when protests erupted across the country after the arrest of Imran Khan in the Al Qadir case. He said, “May 9 will be remembered as a black day”, Dawn reported, adding that he also paid tributes to the country’s armed forces.
Earlier, on Tuesday, Sharif announced auctioning of all of the Toshakhana gifts he received during his tenure as Pakistan PM to support orphan children, Pakistan-based Geo News reported.
Sharif said, “I announce auctioning of all of the gifts worth millions or rupees at Toshakhana. But the whole of the amount will go nowhere else but institutions of the orphan children whether they are welfare organisations, educational institutions or medical facilities”, according to Geo News report.
“We will hand them over under a mechanism to support the orphans who are unable to face the challenges of life,” he added.
The outgoing PM said his government inherited very tough economic conditions and the PML(N)’s coalition partners had not imagined the severity of the problems plaguing the country.
