In farewell cabinet address, PM Shehbaz praises coalition partners for stabilising economy

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday commended and expressed his gratitude to all coalition members for their maturity, sincerity, loyalty, and commitment to the goal of bringing about economic stability in the country, Aaj News reported.

In his farewell address to the federal cabinet, the prime minister emphasised the need of maintaining national unity, arguing that it was essential for the socioeconomic advancement of the nation’s citizens.

He said that the country’s political leaders put aside their ideological disagreements and worked tirelessly to save the nation from its dire situation.

He claimed that flash floods, particularly in Sindh and Balochistan, had presented the administration with significant difficulty.

He added that all the institutions, such as the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), played crucial roles in the recovery process following the natural calamity.

The way the federal government and all the provincial governments worked together to bring the country out of such a challenge was “worth appreciating”, he said.

Former army chief retired Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman, Minister for Economic Affairs Ayaz Sadiq, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, and Minister for BISP Shazia Marri were also honoured for their contributions to the rehabilitation effort in the flood-affected districts.

According to PM Shehbaz, the government had to deal with the inflation crisis, which put a severe negative impact on the average person.

He claimed that the PTI government’s criminal incompetence, which seriously harmed the nation’s overall economic structure, was the main cause of the rising inflation.

He claimed that the coalition’s members gave the government their full support when it made difficult choices like raising the price of fuel and sacrificed their own political ambitions in support of the stability and growth of the nation.

PM Shehbaz stated that the deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was a result of the efforts of all parties involved, including the minister of finance.

He also thanked China for supporting Pakistan in such a crisis saying that without its support, the agreement with IMF was not possible.

“The Chinese premier Li had told me that he himself had talked to the IMF Managing Director to support Pakistan,” he said adding that during the previous four months, China had rolled lover a loan of US$5 billion for Pakistan.

Recently, he said a high-level delegation of China visited Pakistan which also gave the impression that Pakistan was their best friend and will do anything for it.

The delegation had officially announced the second phase of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under which various projects in agriculture, IT, Industries, and export sectors would be launched.

He said the coalition government had completed many projects in Gwadar in the shortest possible time that were lingering for a long time.

With regard to the 9th May incident, the prime minister said it was the worst conspiracy against the state, the Pakistan Army, and Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir. But he claimed that because of the Army Chief’s resolve, the issue was quickly brought under control.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the project of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) was launched to improve the economic situation of the country.

“The federal government, all provinces, institutions especially Pakistan Army are part of this project,” he said adding that it is the best opportunity for the country to take it to new heights of development and prosperity.

He hoped that the incoming governments would continue this project with the same passion.

Different members of the cabinet also expressed their experiences and thanked the prime minister for his support.