Drop support for Python 3.8

[irtazaakram]

Description:

Follow and complete all of the following steps for the issue to be marked as done.

• Update the tox.ini, setup.py, setup.cfg, or pyproject.toml to remove Python 3.8 from the supported versions list.
• Ensure the GitHub Actions workflows are updated, particularly removing Python 3.8 from the CI matrix.
• Review and clean up any testing or build configurations referencing Python versions earlier than 3.11.
• Run tests in the CI to ensure everything passes after removing Python 3.8.
• Add a CHANGELOG entry: “Dropped support for Python 3.8.”
• Bump the package version and release a new version on GitHub & PyPI (if applicable).

[ttqureshi]

@irtazaakram please assign this to me.