Defence Minister Khawaja Asif is once again under fire for his controversial remarks. This time around, he is getting criticized for taking a dig at a picture of a youth showing his laptop from the government’s laptop scheme with PTI chairman Imran Khan’s image in the background.
According to the details, the picture shows the youth holding a laptop he received from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s laptop scheme, and a picture of Imran Khan – who is the incumbent government’s political rival – was set as the desktop background.
The image went viral on social media. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif too shared the image while making an inappropriate comment towards the youth.
Read more: Laptop scheme creed for progress of Pakistani youth: PM
“The picture completely portrays the mental capacity of Imran Khan’s followers,” Khawaja Asif tweeted.
یہ تصویر عمران خان کے فالورز کی ذھنی کیفیت کی مکمل عکاسی کرتی ھے.
It actually comprehensively defines a youthia… https://t.co/DdjjIfrBk2— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) July 16, 2023
It remains unclear how old the picture is. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Attaullah Tarar said the pictures are from 2014 and are being re-shared as part of a propaganda.
Nevertheless, Khawaja Asif is still facing intense backlash for his unwarranted remarks targeting the youth. Netizens, including prominent journalists, hit back at the Defence Minister saying the laptops were paid for by tax payers’ money.
Surprised by the comment of Defence Minister, Khawaja Sb! Picture of a young man with a laptop with photo of Imran Khan only sends a message that you can’t bribe youth by giving them laptops from tax payers money and expect them to vote for you. It’s a simple political… https://t.co/bdDGMLaBcW
— Moeed Pirzada (@MoeedNj) July 17, 2023
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Interestingly, after Khawaja Asif’s criticism, many netizens shared pictures and videos of their laptops received from the government’s youth scheme with Imran Khan’s picture set as their desktop background.
نوجوان نسل پڑھی لکھی یوتھ کو پچھلے چار برسوں میں گالی بنادیا گیا اگر وزرا بھی یوتھ کو گالی دینگے اور ان کا تمسخر اڑائیں گے تو یوتھ کیطرف سے اس سے مہذب جواب کوئی اور ہو نہیں سکتا https://t.co/eR21NWfXFC
— Sabir Shakir (@ARYSabirShakir) July 17, 2023
The federal government has inaugurated Prime Minister Youth Laptop Scheme 2023 under which 100,000 laptops are being offered to top-tier students of universities.
PM Shehbaz Sharif re-launched the programme for distribution of laptops among students in Islamabad. He distributed the laptops among students at a ceremony at the Convention Centre in the capital.
He also launched the PM National Laptop Scheme for the talented students of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, including merged areas, enabling them to continue their studies and contemporary research.
The laptop distribution ceremony was held at the Governor House. The prime minister distributed laptops among the position-holder students of different universities in K-P.