ISLAMABAD: In a bid to end widely circulated rumours and speculations, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in an address to the nation on Thursday evening said that the incumbent government will hand over the reigns of the country to a caretaker set-up in August this year.
The prime minister’s key address comes a day after Pakistan reached a $3 billion Standby Agreement with the International Monetary Fund and received $1bn from its close friend United Arab Emirates. The cash-starved nation received the first tranche of $1.2bn (IMF-related funds) earlier today.
In his address, PM Shehbaz Sharif recalled the political and financial challenges the incumbent government faced from the very first day soon after it took charge,
Th prime minister said that he was very thankful to China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE who stood for Pakistan in hard times.
Shehbaz Sharif further said that he was given the “sacred responsibility” of running the country as the prime minister and working for its welfare in April last year, adding that, now “ We would return this responsibility in August 2023 to the caretaker government.”
براہِ راست – وزیراعظم شہباز شریف کا قوم سے اہم خطاب https://t.co/xPjXOLoi8y
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) July 13, 2023
PM recalls government achievements
The Premier also accused the previous PTI-led government of sabotaging the previous IMF deal and counted some major developments in the time of incumbent government, including improving the stock exchange beyond the 45000benchmark, bouncing back of local currency, PM Lap Top Scheme, packages for farmers, women’s development and launching of new projects.
The Prime Minister also pledged to make Pakistan a “real sovereign state” and to discourage dependency on other countries and IMF.
He said that utilizing the country’s resources with dedication will increase its power. He also pledged to control inflation, generate more electricity and bring more development as PML-N government did in the last tenure of Nawaz Sharif.
