Mohsin Naqvi calls for major governance reforms, says current system has failed

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday said Pakistan’s existing governance system had collapsed and was no longer capable of dealing with the country’s challenges, calling for major administrative reforms and the creation of new administrative units.

Addressing the Pakistan Economic Summit in Islamabad, Naqvi said fundamental changes were required to improve governance and resolve long-standing issues.

“The system we are living under has collapsed. Problems cannot be solved through it,” he said.

The interior minister warned that Pakistan would continue facing the same challenges over the next decade if major reforms were not introduced.

“If this system continues, we will still be sitting here 10 years from now discussing the same issues,” he added.

Naqvi said Pakistan needed to address basic structural problems and move towards new administrative arrangements.

“You have to move towards administrative units. Call them provinces or give them any other name,” he said.

He said he supported democracy but noted that different democratic models existed around the world. He also stressed the importance of providing employment opportunities to young people through merit-based systems rather than financial assistance.

“Young people have only one demand: they want jobs on merit,” Naqvi said.

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The interior minister also warned about the country’s increasing debt burden, saying urgent measures were needed to address economic challenges and avoid further dependence on borrowing.

He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif worked long hours to manage government affairs but added that even extended working hours could not replace institutional reforms.

“Even 18-hour workdays amount to firefighting without broader reforms,” he said.

Naqvi called for greater devolution of powers to lower administrative levels and said provinces should be reorganised on administrative grounds to improve governance and accelerate development.

He also urged the business community to play a larger role in economic policymaking, saying economic progress was not possible without private sector involvement.

The interior minister said political differences should be set aside in favour of national interest, adding that the current system was not completely flawed but required comprehensive improvements.

Later, while speaking informally to journalists, Naqvi said efforts by Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir would not produce lasting results unless political parties worked together to reform the governance system.

“Unless politicians fix the country’s system, the Field Marshal’s hard work will be of no benefit,” he said.

Naqvi said Field Marshal Asim Munir had repeatedly stated that democracy would not be derailed and urged political parties, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to work together for reforms.

He also said the current government would complete its constitutional term and ruled out the possibility of introducing a presidential system.

Responding to speculation about a possible change in his cabinet portfolio, Naqvi clarified that he would continue serving as interior minister and was not being moved to the foreign affairs ministry.

Regarding legal cases against former prime minister Imran Khan, he said the courts would decide the matters according to law.