LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi on Tuesday said that making statements like opposition leaders while being in government not only weakens the government’s own political position but also lowers the morale of the administrative machinery.

In a statement issued after his meeting with Qambar Hameed and Rana Khalid Mahmood called at his assembly chamber, it said that the speaker maintained the government should not fall into the trap of the opposition and make its decisions with a calm heart and mind, adding that the strategy of the opposition to harass the government on every small and big issue in view of provoking to the extent that it makes wrong decisions and harm itself.

He said that the people have given a five-year mandate to the government with two and a quarter years left. If the opposition believes in democracy then it should respect this public mandate of the government and should give up negative politics based on mere chaos.

Elahi said that the coalition parties of the government have always fully supported the government in every difficult time and rescued it from the clutches of the opposition, but the government should also take a deliberate approach to the coalition parties before making major decisions and not push the allies towards the opposition camp.

The speaker said that for the development and prosperity of the country, we have to get rid of the burden of external debts, stop blaming each other and move forward together to revive the economy in the national interest to facilitate Pakistan’s prosperity journey.

He said that immorality is the biggest obstacle in the way of development. It is very important to promote a culture of respect, not rudeness. Respecting others is part of our culture and it should not be forgotten. If we want to achieve economic prosperity, we have to give relief to the people and fulfill the promises made to the people. With the growth of democracy, the country will be strong.