It is ironic that Pakistan
Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahbaz Sharif found humor and mockery in
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s slip of tongue on Monday at an
election rally since the former Punjab chief minister himself committed a major
faux pas when he promised his electricity-starved supporters that if elected to
power, he would eradicate electricity from the country in two years.
As the story goes, Imran Khan had become the subject of ridicule when, in the
heat of the moment, he had asked his supporters to vote for the ‘Tiger’, his
rival party’s election symbol. Shahbaz Sharif mocked the PTI chairman in his
election rally on Tuesday, saying even his rival party’s leader wanted his
supporters to vote for the PML-N.
Barely a few minutes later, however, the former chief minister, caught in the
exhilaration of the rally, called out to his supporters, “Brothers and sisters,
if you promise that PML-N’s vote will not be divided in Punjab, if you promise
to vote for Nawaz Sharif, I promise I will end electricity in two years.” He
then proceeded to wave gleefully at his supporters, not realising the gravity of
his slip of tongue.
Punjab has been facing severe electricity load shedding crisis over the last
five years. It has gotten progressively worse, forcing the caretaker government
to release funds to provide electricity to the province, where the power crisis
had shut down industries, caused massive unemployment and damage to the economy.
In another humorous twist, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has been running
campaign commercials on TV, taking extracts of Shahbaz’s promises to end load
shedding over the tenure of his last government, mocking him for not living up
to his word.
This slip of tongue, then, definitely comes at a bad time for the former chief
minister, a fact that will definitely not be lost on his rivals in the election
race. - See more at: https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013/04/30/news/national/oops-shahbaz-promises-no-electricity-in-two-years/#sthash.LgFKfstC.dpuf