MARYAM Nawaz has recently entered politics. She is an amateur. In line with the practice to keep politics at home, Nawaz Sharif has brought her into the political arena and is now grooming her. On April 4, she distributed laptops among brilliant students at the Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore.

It is not clear if the laptops distributed by her are from Sharif’s personal pocket, from PML-N coffers or they are being distributed by using public money. If Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif or any other Punjab government authority distributes laptops, it can be accepted. But Maryam does not hold any government office. Her distributing the laptops is for her future political gains.

Punjab was the worst-affected province in the 2010 floods. The prime minister and Sharifs appealed to the Pakistanis working in foreign countries to extend financial help in rehabilitating the affected people.

Like other places in Bahrain, the Pakistan Club also raised funds for this purpose. As people all over the world were moved by the conditions of the affected people, dozens of people in Bahrain donated money for construction of houses.

A Pakistan Club delegation went to Lahore and signed an agreement with Shahbaz Sharif. All the national newspapers in Pakistan printed photographs of the signing ceremony of this agreement.

Under this agreement, a new city named ‘Bahrain Town’ was to be constructed in Muzaffargarh with modern standard units for displaced people. The money was to be provided by the Pakistan Club from donations and the Punjab government was to provide free land.

The collected money was given to the Punjab government. The major portion of the fund was collected later and still is with the Pakistan Club as the work did not proceed at the site. Will anyone now confirm if Maryam distributed the laptops from her personal pocket or Shahbaz Sharif and Nawaz Sharif are distributing them, using public money and doing the same thing for which they daily criticise the president and the prime minister.

If these laptops are bought from public money, I will request the federal government to take control of the fund lying with the Pakistan Club through the embassy.

The government should also ask the Pakistan Club to refund the money to donors as it is not being used for the purpose it was collected for.

KAUSAR Bahrain

Political gimmick?

THE initiative of distributing laptops among students by the PML-N is a game to gain support of the youth in the forthcoming election. I recently attended a laptop distribution ceremony where Maryam Nawaz, while delivering a speech, lashed out at Imran Khan.

The question is: if it is not a political game, then why did she hit out at another political leader? The ceremony was more like a political rally where MNAs accompanied Maryam.

Secondly, this is just a stunt by the Sharif brothers to promote their children as Hamza distributed laptops in one institute and Maryam another day at the other institute.

If laptops were to create IT awareness, then IT professionals should have been invited to speak to the youth. It would have been better if billions of rupees were spent on yellow cabs, ‘roti’ scheme, establishing computer laboratories in remote areas or giving scholarships to young people and providing them educational support.

ZAINAB HAMAYUN Lahore

Good initiative

MANY of us seem to criticise the distribution of laptops by the Punjab government, claiming it to be an extravagance and a popularity stunt. It is also said that the same amount of money invested elsewhere should have been more productive.

However, we seem to neglect the point that through the distribution of laptops we have equipped our students with one technology on which the world thrives today. The whole education system is revolutionised by the use of computers.

With access to online research stores, authentic books on the Internet, the students have hands-on learning experience. We need to remember that these laptops have reached homes that might not even have desktop computers.

We need to set aside political prejudice and appreciate this thoughtful effort.

ARFA ZAHID Lahore