In democracies, decisions are not taken on the streets: Shahbaz

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said on Thursday that in a democracy, decisions concerning the state were not taken on the streets but in the parliament. 

In a series of statements, Shahbaz Sharif slammed the government's detractors and said that this was not the time for street agitation but there was a need to forge unity and agreement among one another. The Punjab Chief Minister also said that there were certain political elements who wanted to derail the government from its path of progress for their own personal benefit.

"Those who are bent on doing politics of protest should take heed," he said. "The masses had earlier rejected such elements and will also continue to reject them in future," he claimed.

Shahbaz praised the governance of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif by saying that during the PM's three-year tenure, the country had progressed in each and every sector. He said that people wished to see a progressive and prosperous Pakistan.

Shahbaz's statements come at a time when opposition parties in Pakistan are bracing for anti-government movements. The deadlock between the opposition parties and the federal government over the terms of reference for the judicial commission has caused the opposition to evaluate their option to protest.

The Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf has taken out protest rallies in the cities of Peshawar and Rawalpindi while Pakistan Peoples Party has threatened to take to the streets against the government in September.