LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s (PTI) candidate for by-polls in NA-120 Dr Yasmin Rashid has launched an election campaign on Facebook titled “Dr Yasmin Rashid ka sawaal #NA120 kay voter say?”
In the one minute and 21 seconds sponsored video uploaded on Facebook, Yasmin Rashid questions NA-120 residents whether they have witnessed billions worth of properties of Nawaz Sharif and his children. The video screens Nawaz Sharif, his son Hussain Nawaz and his daughter Maryam Nawaz standing in luxurious villas and palaces while NA-120 residents are shown living in dilapidated homes, streets littered with garbage, dirty water, open manholes and choked gutters.
https://www.facebook.com/258454854218884/videos/1492892964108394/
Yasmin further questions the residents whether they have seen images of Jati Umra residence of Nawaz Sharif and compared it with that of theirs. The video then goes on to show residents of NA-120 complaining about the dearth of civic facilities in the constituency. One unnamed resident states, “There is a lot of filth here. Water is also unclean.” A female resident complains, “Gutters are always filled here. There are no streets and no effort has been made to make sewerage facilities better.” A third resident complains about the lack of entertainment facilities for children. A fourth resident complains about mixing of clean water pipelines with sewerage in the area.
She suggests NA-120 residents have a look at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where her party, PTI, has worked to bring about drastic changes to the education system. She backs her statements through pictures of improved schools, health facilities and policing department in the region. She claims that Imran Khan has revamped the 70-year-old creaky health sector and policing system of KP.
“I request you to allow one chance to Imran Khan to discover how change is truly brought about,” Yasmin appeals to NA-120 residents. With the campaign jingle “Tabdeeli eye ray” playing, Yasmin urges people to support PTI by voting for her in the NA-120 by-polls to be held on September 17.
It is pertinent to mention here that Yasmin only targeted Nawaz Sharif in the campaign video despite the fact that as many as 44 candidates are contesting the by-polls. A cut throat competition is expected between Kulsoom Nawaz, wife of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Yasmin Rashid.
Yasmin lost to Nawaz Sharif in the general elections of 2013. The NA-120 is considered a stronghold of Sharif family for the last 30 years though it lacks basic amenities. PML-N has come under fire by almost all opposition parties for keeping the constituency backward.
According to experts, PTI draws electioneering strength through active social media campaigns.
On the other hand, PML-N’s social media electioneering focuses on sharing videos of Maryam Nawaz exhibited as receiving a grand reception by the residents of NA-120 on behalf of her ailing mother Kulsoom Nawaz.
