Laptops make adrenaline pump through Lahore’s veins

Anticipation, uncertainty and resentment are rife on educational institution campuses in the provincial metropolis as the Punjab government is starting the distribution of laptops from today (Friday).
The distribution ceremony will start from the Punjab University with the distribution of 13, 605 laptops among regular students, selected on merit. At the initial stage, the computers are only being awarded to students enrolled in the morning programmes of the varsity.
Meanwhile, those enrolled in evening programmes have been excluded from the scheme and remain sceptical about it. However, sources in higher education say these students will be given laptops in the next phase of the programme which would begin in April. These students’ names were included in the registration process only after the chief minister announced that award lists be reconsidered.
However, the students protested against the government when they were not awarded the laptops. Chief Minister’s Advisor for Higher Education Zaeem Hussain Qadri reassured the protesters gathered in front of the PU Vice Chancellor’s office that they would receive laptops at a later stage. Huma Ejaz, a student of the MS replica programme in PU, said although the students called off their protest on the assurance of Qadri, it was unlikely that they would receive laptops.
Youth activist and fashion designer Maria Naqvi called it a ‘mockery of merit’ but said the CM deserved praise for adopting an innovative way to reward students. She added that merit had been relaxed to allow maximum number of students to benefit from the scheme. Tehreem Munir, a student of agricultural sciences in PU, was all praise for Shahbaz Sharif when she talked to this reporter.
She said she needed a laptop for her studies but could not afford to buy one herself. Praising the CM for his efforts, she added that her sister and two of her cousins are also getting new laptops. Unlike Tehreem and her family, there is a group of students who do not hold Shahbaz Sharif in high regard.
Ali Akbar, Sajjad Khan, Kashif Iqbal and Abdul Majid belong to Haveli Lakha in the Okara district. They are studying in the Punjab University but coincidently none of them was nominated as a beneficiary of the award.
According to them, Shahbaz Sharif is a bad administrator who spent huge amounts of money to votes of the youth.
The Punjab Government has scheduled 14 ceremonies starting from March 23rd for the distribution of 43,329 laptops. The last ceremony will be held in the University of Engineering and Technology on April 7th. Sources privy to the developments told Pakistan Today that the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz was using the distribution ceremonies to rebuild its distorted image in the urban population and to regain its vote bank which now supported the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. They said the provincial government considers it to be an opportunity to counter the charisma of Imran’s personality.
Punjab Assembly and PML-N member Abdul Ghaffoor, however, says there is nothing wrong with the process of image-building. Talking to Pakistan Today he said the ceremonies had encouraged bright students and their parents. He called it another sign of life and activity in the province as the other three provinces had not initiated programmes like the ones envisioned by Shahbaz Sharif.