Shahid Khaqan Abbasi at I-9 #Islamabad for Election Campaign. #NA53 (Imran Khan vs Shahid Khaqan Abbasi) #PMLN pic.twitter.com/SB6m4kJGXO
— Shoaib Ahsan (@ShoaibAhsanPK) July 7, 2018
Who do you predict will win NA-53, the Islamabad constituency where bigwigs Imran Khan and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi are up against each other?
In a piece for Dawn today, Arifa Noor writes that although Abbasi faces Imran Khan who has even less time to spare for Islamabad, observers feel that Abbasi cannot match Khan’s star appeal.
Abbasi dismisses this. “I have been living in Islamabad for 44 years. I know the people since my grandfather’s time, have been in touch with them, have been visiting them. And the party structure is in place.”
Noor observes that Abbasi's campaign seems low key, with Khan’s posters seen near his home too.
The ex-premier brushes aside any suggestions that his campaign is lacklustre. “This is my way of working... low-key. I don’t believe in high-profile events. I would rather just go out and meet people.
“Let me tell you, Imran Khan will lose from Banigala [where Mr Khan resides] also,” he says and then laughs mischievously.
