Says governance system has ‘collapsed’, cannot resolve country’s issues; Pakistan’s ‘cockroaches’ can turn everything upside down; PM is ‘firefighting’ without reforms
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday said Pakistan’s existing governance system had collapsed and was no longer capable of addressing the country’s challenges, calling for administrative reforms, including the creation of new administrative units.
Addressing the Pakistan Economic Summit in Islamabad, Naqvi said: “The system we are living under has collapsed. Problems cannot be solved through it.” He said Pakistan would continue to face the same challenges over the next decade unless fundamental reforms were introduced.
“If this system continues, we will still be sitting here 10 years from now discussing the same issues,” he said. The security czar said the country needed to address its basic structural issues, adding that administrative changes were necessary. “You have to move towards administrative units. Call them provinces or give them any other name,” he added.
The summit was also attended by FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh, UBG Patron-in-Chief S.M. Tanveer, prominent business leaders Dr. Gohar Ejaz and Dr. Farooq Sattar, and journalist Sohail Warraich, alongside chamber presidents, industrialists, exporters, investors, and economic experts from across the country.
The interior minister went on to say that he was a strong supporter of democracy but noted that different democratic systems existed. He also stressed the need to provide employment opportunities on merit, saying young people wanted jobs through a fair process rather than financial handouts.
Naqvi further said Pakistan’s “cockroaches” could turn everything upside down if they unite “Young people have only one demand: they want jobs on merit,” he added.
He further said Pakistan’s growing debt burden required urgent attention, warning that continued borrowing without reforms would worsen the country’s economic challenges. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif worked 12 to 14 hours a day, but added that even 18-hour workdays amounted to “fire-fighting” without broader institutional reforms.
The minister said powers should be devolved to lower administrative levels and provinces should be divided on administrative grounds to improve governance and speed up development.
He said the business community should play a greater role in economic policymaking, adding that the economy could not im-prove without its participation.
Naqvi also called for political differences to be set aside in favour of national interest and said the current system was not en-tirely flawed, but required comprehensive reforms to deliver lasting improvements.
Speaking informally to journalists later in the day, Naqvi said the efforts of the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of Defence Forc-es Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir would not yield lasting results unless politicians worked together to reform Pakistan’s govern-ance system.
Naqvi said: “Unless politicians fix the country’s system, the Field Marshal’s hard work will be of no benefit.” Naqvi said the CDF Munir had repeatedly stated that he would not allow democracy to be derailed. “The country’s political par-ties will have to come together to improve the system,” he added.
“Not only the PML-N and the PPP, but the PTI should also join efforts to improve the system,” he told journalists.
Naqvi also said the current government would complete its constitutional term and ruled out a presidential system.
Responding to speculation about his new cabinet portfolio, Naqvi said he would continue to serve as interior minister and was not moving to the foreign affairs portfolio.
On former prime minister Imran Khan’s legal matters, Naqvi said the courts would decide the cases against the former.
He remarked that those present at the conference, both on stage and in the audience, shared responsibility for the country’s pre-sent condition.
He said the issue should be presented before the public, adding that new political units would pave the way for new leadership. He also noted that citizens in many areas still travel eight to ten hours to access courts, emphasizing that justice should be availa-ble closer to their homes.
Naqvi compared Pakistan with India, saying India had 14 provinces at the time of independence but now has 29, suggesting Pa-kistan should also debate administrative restructuring.
Mohsin Naqvi urged industrialists and business leaders to actively participate in politics instead of merely financing election campaigns.
He said members of the business community often contribute large sums before elections — some as much as Rs100 million and others up to Rs500 million — but remain outside the political process. He questioned why business leaders viewed entering politics as an insult despite having the ability to drive meaningful reforms.
