“Debt harmed our dignity; now we must break free, work harder” – Prime Minister
Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has assured the nation that his government will hand over the reins to an interim setup next month after the completion of their tenure.
“In August 2023, we will give responsibility to the interim government,” said PM Shehbaz in a live address on Thursday.
The premier’s address comes a day after Pakistan reached a $3 billion Standby Agreement with the International Monetary Fund. The cash-starved nation received the first tranche of $1.2bn earlier today.
At the outset of his address, PM Shehbaz recalled that he was given the “sacred responsibility” of running the country as the prime minister and working for its welfare in April last year.
“We will hand over this responsibility in August 2023 to the caretaker government.”
He recalled that the incumbent government, in just 15 months, cleaned the “rubble of destruction” caused in the last four years.
“We cleaned the landmines spread in the way of Pakistan’s interests” and “doused the fire” that erupted because of mismanagement, inefficiency and conspiracy in running the affairs of the country, including the economy and foreign affairs, the PM said.
“This brief 1.5-year period was a journey from the darkness of hopelessness to the light of hope … it was the beginning of gaining something after losing everything … it was a journey of returning towards development from anarchy and chaos.
The journey of the government, he continued, was that of returning to economic development and providing relief to the nation that was stricken by inflation, floods and unemployment.
“This was the journey of restoring human dignity, chastity, national self-sufficiency, media and freedom of speech.
