Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif seems to have embarked on an election campaign much before the announcement of election date and arrival of a caretaker setup ahead of the general election. But it is the period of time immediately before an election when politicians try to persuade people to vote for them.

For obvious reasons, his strategy is strongly characterised by the unveiling of plaques of a slew of developments projects and stepped up criticism of Imran Khan and latter’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

In a nutshell, he wants to brighten the electoral prospects of his party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), at all cost. The current woes of Imran Khan have thrown up an opportunity for him to cash it on with both hands. It is a widely known fact that in an election campaign, parties want their allies to participate, not their enemies.

Ruling the Punjab, albeit indirectly, through a caretaker setup led by chief minister Mohsin Naqvi for the past many months has added to his confidence, so to speak. He is working harder to improve his party’s prospects in KPK as well. Shehbaz Sharif has proved to be a person that dependably performs hard work over a long period of time. I wish him success.

Shahid K. Dhillon (Lahore)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023