ISLAMABAD: In his farewell speech at the National Assembly on Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described his 16-month-long tenure as the country’s chief executive as the “most difficult test of my life”, Dawn.com reported.
“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,” he said.
The prime minister said he would meet Leader of the Opposition Raja Riaz on Thursday (today) to discuss the candidates for the interim PM.
He began and ended his speech by thanking lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for electing him as the PM, showing confidence in him and supporting him throughout his tenure at the helm.
Says his government did ‘not jail any political rival’; chairs cabinet meeting; announces package for overseas Pakistanis
The government faced several challenges and difficulties during its 16-month tenure, he said, adding, “We had to bear the burden of the previous government’s failure and negligence”.
The premier painted a bleak picture of the aftermath of what he termed the previous government’s failures. He said his government did “not send any political rival to jail or bothered them unfairly. This was never our practice.”
The premier condemned the May 9 episode when protests had erupted across the country following PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest in a graft case. While the protests were under way, several properties, including military installations, were vandalised.
“May 9 will be remembered as a black day,” PM Shehbaz said, paying tribute to the armed forces for their sacrifices. “It was a rebellion against the army, the state, and [Chief of Army Staff] General Asim Munir,” he added.
PM Shehbaz urged the house to adopt a resolution and pledge that “no one will be allowed to commit such acts against the state or army of Pakistan ever again”. He also recalled the sacrifices rendered in the fight against terrorism.
He mentioned the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) as one of the achievements of his government and expressed the hope that the interim government would work further on its progress.
Speaking on Balochistan, the PM said the province lagged behind other provinces in many ways. “The people of Balochistan have some other complaints as well. Their demands are fair … During my 16 months in the government, I tried my best to fulfil their fair demands,” he said, stressing that Balochistan’s issues needed to be addressed and resolved with sincerity.
Cabinet meeting
While addressing the cabinet meeting, PM Shehbaz stressed the need to ensure national unity, highlighting its vital role in the socioeconomic development of the country, APP adds.
The cabinet approved the National Music Policy draft and the National Aviation Policy 2023. It also approved that valuable gifts received by the PM over the past 15 months will be auctioned transparently, with proceeds donated to organisations aiding orphaned and destitute children in Pakistan.
On commerce ministry’s recommendation the meeting approved the appointment of Abdul Rasheed Sheikh, Naeem Anwar, Iqbal Tabish, and Ahmed Sheraz as technical members of the National Tariff Commission.
Package for overseas Pakistanis
Separately, PM Shehbaz announced a package to support overseas Pakistanis, APP reported.
The package included establishment of special courts to resolve property issues faced by the expatriates; establishment of hotlines in offices under all chief secretaries and the ICT chief commissioner; the setting up of Overseas Commissions in all provinces; a reservation of a 10 per cent quota for overseas Pakistanis in all public sector housing projects, along with a 5pc rebate in the case of foreign exchange payment. The package also included dedicated airport counters, top overseas Pakistanis recognition, 5pc seats in public institutes, higher education scholarships, national savings schemes, Nadra central system linking, and expanded camp offices for document services.
Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2023
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