Pakistani social media users have strongly reacted to the relentless PR campaign by the sitting government. An image of the ad in the newspapers on the upcoming official trip of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Turkey has been circulating on social media since morning.
The ad features PM Shehbaz Sharif and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It celebrates the friendly relations between Pakistan and Turkey. An almost half-page ad has appeared in all leading Urdu daily newspapers of Pakistan.
The image piqued the interest of the social media users who argued that why the current government is running a relentless and expensive PR campaign with the taxpayer’s money. Netizens believe that this money should be spent on the welfare of the people when the government is wailing about the lack of money in the country’s treasury to fund development projects.
ٹکٹ کی فوٹو نہیں ہے اشتہار میں۔ مزا نہیں آیا۔#sic pic.twitter.com/PQBvLCCAMk
— Mubashir Zaidi (@Xadeejournalist) May 31, 2022
وزیراعظم صاحب ان اشتہارات کا مقصد تشہیر ہےتو یقین کیجیےآپ کی ایک ٹوئٹ سےاس سےزیادہ تشہیر ہوسکتی،ارداگان صاحب کو ٹیگ کریں ترک عوام تک بھی پیغام پہنچایں۔قومی خزانےپر بوجھ بھی نہیں پڑے گا،تنقید بھی نہیں ہوگی،آپ کی میڈیا ٹیم یا تو ڈیجیٹل دور سےنابلد ہےیا ان اشتہارات کا مقصد کچھ اورہے pic.twitter.com/XEcWXqPxnh
— Ather Kazmi (@2Kazmi) May 31, 2022
The recent statement of PMLN’s leader of Mussadiq Malik that government does not have enough money even to buy poison has further intensified criticism. The claims of the government of empty treasury seem to contradict the continuous PR campaign run by the sitting government ever since they assumed power two months back.
Read more: PMLN’s Hina Parvez Butt slammed for advocating crackdown on PTI
Why are they so interested in showing their faces tho?
While the media was livid because they were missing these cuts, this is also very poor media management, sun rahi haen na aap? 😉 https://t.co/iUG0RcSagh
— Asma Ali Zain (@asmaalizain) May 31, 2022
یہ اشتہار اوپر شہ سرخی پر لعنت بھیج رہا ہے۔ pic.twitter.com/5GI88d9nq7
— Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) May 31, 2022
You never need to worry about knowing where our PM is. He advertises it before every trip. First Saudi and now Turkey. Media happy. 😜😜 pic.twitter.com/EcBkZBjiV6
— Najma Minhas (@MinhasNajma) May 31, 2022
Social media users are asking the government that from where they are getting the funds to run the campaign when the country, according to the government, is going through a severe economic crisis. They also ask about the need for the government to run PR campaigns in the electronic and print media of Pakistan.
Recently, another audio call was leaked in which PMLN’s Vice President Maryam Nawaz is allegedly voicing her anger about being stopped from managing media. She claims that why she is being stopped when she is managing media. This is another audio call tape in which Maryam Nawaz is allegedly confessing to managing media. Maryam Nawaz has not denied the clip so far.