Opp assails govt over failures, apathy

Naqvi in Islamabad on July 30 that "the system we are living under has collapsed", arguing that the existing governance structure could no longer address the country's challenges and calling for structural reforms and new administrative units. Abbas said "an important federal minister" himself had acknowledged that the country's system had collapsed.

He claimed that Pakistan's economic and judicial systems had been severely damaged and cited recent incidents as signs of wider institutional problems. He said providing facilities to citizens and standing up for their rights were fundamental responsibilities of the state.

He criticised the rulers' approach to governance, saying the public could be astonished by their priorities. Raja Nasir Abbas referred to the incident at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), saying such incidents reflected the problems confronting the country.

He also criticised the detention of lawyers Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha despite court orders concerning their release, and praised Mazari for continuing to raise her voice. "Imaan Mazari deserves recognition for raising her voice," he said.

The two lawyers were sentenced to 17 years each in a controversial-tweets case; courts have subsequently taken up matters concerning the suspension of their sentence.

Muhammad Zubair, who was a part of the ruling PML-N till 2023, also referred to Naqvi's system collapse comment, adding that "the admission" by "one of the country's most powerful ministers" showed the present system was incapable of benefiting the people.

He questioned how the government could claim progress when millions of Pakistanis were struggling to meet basic needs while leaders continued to enjoy what he called extravagant lifestyles. "More than 120 million people have gone below the poverty line," Zubair claimed, criticising expenditure on official travel and other privileges.

He alleged that millions of rupees had recently been spent on a private trip and questioned the justification for such expenditure when the government was asking people to make further sacrifices.

The opposition leader also referred to the marriage of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's daughter, contrasting the lavish lifestyle of the ruling elite with the economic difficulties confronting ordinary families. Zubair said the issue was not simply a family celebration but concerned whether rulers were sufficiently sensitive to the population's economic circumstances.

He also criticised the use of public resources by senior officials.