In last NA speech, Shehbaz says he’s not happy that leader of a party is in jail

In a poignant last speech on the floor of the National Assembly as Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif said that if the leader of a political party is jailed, “we are not happy about it”.

“If someone has been distributing sweets [to celebrate], it is not right. This is not a good tradition,” the Premier said, in a thinly veiled reference to political rival, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

Khan has been sentenced to three years imprisonment in the Tosha Khana case, and is currently at Attock jail.

Talking about the severe economic crisis in the country, Shehbaz said that his government faced severe difficulties in its 16-month long tenure.

He thanked legislators from all parties and both sides, including Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir, for showing confidence in him.

Calling the assembly a “bouquet”, the Prime Minister said that such a bunch of Pakistanis has never been put together before and will never be put together again.

In a lighter moment, he asked members to thump their desks with more force after he paid tribute to Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf.

He also singled out Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for praise, thanking the outgoing Foreign Minister for keeping the coalition together and for his diplomatic prowess.