ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said that Pakistan needs new administrative units or provinces to address longstanding governance challenges, arguing that the country’s existing administrative system is no longer capable of effectively resolving public issues.
Speaking at Pakistan’s first Economic Summit in Islamabad, Naqvi said he generally avoids making political speeches but felt compelled to address what he described as structural problems facing the country.
“We are living in a system that has collapsed,” the interior minister said. “If this system continues unchanged, we will still be discussing the same problems ten years from now.”
He stressed that sustainable progress would only be possible by addressing the country’s fundamental governance issues and questioned who would take responsibility for implementing the necessary reforms.
Naqvi said Pakistan should move towards establishing new administrative units, regardless of whether they are called administrative divisions or provinces.
“We have to move in that direction,” he said. “Unless all stakeholders sit together and reach a consensus, the country will continue to face the same challenges.”
The minister also suggested that the issue of creating new administrative units or provinces should ultimately be taken to the public.
Referring to the country’s youth, Naqvi said young people are demanding their rights and seeking employment based on merit. He remarked that if young people unite, they could bring about significant change.
He also spoke about Pakistan’s economic challenges, saying the country continues to operate under increasing financial pressure.
Drawing a comparison with household finances, Naqvi said no family could sustainably function while beginning every month burdened with heavy debt. He argued that Pakistan similarly prepares budgets while carrying large liabilities and continues to rely on additional borrowing each year.
“Our debt continues to increase every year,” he said, adding that meaningful improvement would not be possible without fundamentally resetting the current governance and economic system.
The interior minister also praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, saying the premier works 12 to 14 hours a day, and remarked that even if he worked 18 hours daily, he would still be focused primarily on managing immediate crises rather than addressing the country’s underlying structural issues.
The remarks reflect Mohsin Naqvi’s views expressed during his address at the Economic Summit.
About The Author
