EYEING the youth was the mantra that influenced politics in Punjab during 2012. The PML-N government came up with ambitious plan of attracting the youths studying in colleges and universities by offering them laptops at a total cost of Rs4 billion followed by a second phase launched towards the end of the year.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif distributed some 110,000 laptops in the first phase and said the target was 200,000. The chief minister never explicitly sought youth’s support in the coming general elections, but did seek their commitment at a Students’ Convention that they would oust Asif Ali Zardari whom he calls “Zar Baba and 40 Thieves”.

The youths apparently had enough political awareness of what was going on. At the Punjab University, students on the back benches raised slogans – ‘Laptop Shahbaz Sharif ka, Vote Imran Khan ka’ – during a laptop-distribution ceremony. Many of students believed it was Imran Khan who had ‘provoked’ Shahbaz Sharif to target the youth.

Still, many students have questioned the basis of this laptop largesse. “Where is 100% merit?”, “Merit or Vote Politics?” read banners at another such ceremony that was held at the National Hockey Stadium.

Other than the laptops, the chief minister also handed over generous cash prizes to top position-holders in matriculation and intermediate examinations and then he extended the initiative by inviting position-holders from other provinces to receive cash prizes in Lahore. Next came another initiative worth Rs4.4 billion that entailed the distribution of 250,000 solar lamps among top Class-X students in the province.

PML-N as well as all other parties had agreed to do away with discretionary budgets to finance non-budgeted schemes, and the PML-N MPAs could not answer questions at a round-table discussion among parliamentarians about who would fund the Rs4.4 billion scheme and how.

PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Mariam Nawaz and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif are addressing youths in colleges and universities, explaining the Punjab government’s initiatives, including scholarships through Punjab Educational Endowment Fund (PEEF) and Youth Internship Programme, and criticising the federal government for alleged corruption, nepotism and malpractices.

Will it all help the PML-N when the nation goes to the polls in 2013? Only time will tell.