Came in through constitutional means, leaving the same way: PM Shehbaz

Outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said his government came in through constitutional means and was bowing out in the same way.

In his probably last speech before the caretaker setup takes charge, the prime minister said his 16-month tenure was “not easy,” and he had to take difficult economic decisions, which affected their political image.

“We came [to power] through constitutional means, and leaving the same way by handing over the government to a caretaker setup after a consensus with the opposition leader over the name of the caretaker prime minister,” Shehbaz said while addressing the nation.

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He stressed that the outgoing PDM-led government had saved Pakistan from default.

Shehbaz acknowledged that inflation was high in the country but blamed the previous PTI-led government, saying the then government jeopardised deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which led to economic uncertainty in the country.

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“We made the most difficult of decisions, and time will prove that we made the right decision,” he said.

The premier expressed gratitude to the nation and leaders of other parties for showing confidence in him.

Shehbaz probably gave his farewell speech as the newly appointed caretaker prime minister Senator Anwar ul-Haq Kakar, is expected to take the oath tomorrow, on the independence day.

The National Assembly stood dissolved after President Dr Arif Alvi assented to the premature lower house dissolution shortly after PM Shehbaz forwarded the summary.

Earlier, PM Shehbaz had made it public that he would send the dissolution summary to President Alvi on Wednesday, August 9 - only a few days before the house could complete its term.

“After completion of our term, we will, Wednesday, write to the president of Pakistan that the assembly should be dissolved, and then a caretaker government will come,” he had said while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the tube-well solar energy transfer project.

After a consensus between the PM and the Opposition leader Raja Riaz, Senator Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar has been announced as the interim prime minister. The President approved his appointment under Article 224 A of the Constitution.