Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described his 16-month tenure as the country's chief executive as the "most difficult test of my life" in his farewell address to the National Assembly (NA) on Wednesday, Dawn 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, who previously announced that the NA will be dissolved on August 9, informed parliamentarians that he would transmit the summary for the assembly's dissolution to the president tonight.
Furthermore, he stated that he will meet with Leader of the Opposition Raja Riaz tomorrow to discuss the options for an interim Prime Minister.
“Tomorrow will be our first meeting, and as per the Constitution, we will have three days to reach a decision," he was quoted by Dawn in its report.
He began and concluded his statement by thanking MPs on both sides of the aisle for choosing him as Prime Minister, believing in him, and standing with him during his tenure.
During its 16-month existence, the administration encountered a number of problems and difficulties, he said, adding, "We had to bear the burden of the previous government's failure and negligence."
The premier provided a gloomy picture of the consequences of the previous government's shortcomings.
He insisted that his administration "did not imprison or harass any political rival. This was never our custom."
If a party's leader — a reference to PTI Chairman Imran Khan — was imprisoned today, "we are not happy," he remarked.
“And if some people have distributed sweets [to celebrate the punishment], it is not right. It is not a good tradition," he stated.
The premier also criticised the May 9 incident, in which protests erupted throughout the country in response to Imran's imprisonment in a fraud case. Several properties, including military sites, were vandalised during the demonstrations.