IT wasn’t an ordinary day by any stretch of the imagination, even though it began rather ordinarily. There was little news to interest anyone (and Kashmir was a no-no for television channels). Initially, there came fleeting news about a press conference by the head of ISPR but it wasn’t meant to be. Those who had not been invited to the event thought the news was incorrect but later it transpired that the conference had been delayed to the next day, Friday. And then came the bombshell — in Islamabad at an event hosting businessmen for a conference on the economy, business and all things complicated. Here, instead of the speeches by the men managing Pakistan’s finances (if there were any), it was Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s speech that got all the attention. It’s still not clear why he spoke there but as the conference took place at a hall located close to his office, perhaps he offered to swing by and say a few words.

His speech didn’t just create headlines; it created an entire news cycle. In simple words, he confirmed in a way what the government’s worst critics have been saying — that people are in pain and the government hasn’t been able to provide them with any relief. He put it even more bluntly. He spoke of the ‘system’ (the entire country — not just the one in Sindh) having collapsed. Not collapsing but collapsed.

He said it wasn’t possible to deliver regardless of how hard the prime minister worked and how many long hours he put in. He........

© Dawn