Naqvi says his comments on governance reset were not directed at any political party

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday said that his previous comments advocating for reforming the governance system were not directed at any particular political party.

Addressing the National Policy Dialogue in Lahore, he said, “My statement was neither a reference to any political party nor to any political arrangement.”

He clarified that his comments were about the “system” that has been in place since its independence. “Reset does not mean breaking the system. Under no circumstances does it mean breaking the system. It means that whatever is wrong should be changed,” he added.

Contending that the country’s administrative system had lost its effectiveness, he said, “Its impact is not reaching the public at all.”

Naqvi called for undertaking the administrative reforms he proposed as per the Constitution. “It has to be done through democratic means.”

“Under no circumstances are we ready to accept that we have become so incapable that we cannot reset this system,” he said, calling for political parties to hold deliberations on the matter.

Naqvi asserted he would not abandon the idea, adding that many “emotional” speeches were being made about the administrative units.

He urged politicians not to get emotional about the topic, adding that the change was not one that would happen overnight.

Acknowledging administrative issues, Naqvi said, “Even today, four out of every 10 children are not receiving the education they need. Today, only 55 per cent of the population has access to clean drinking water, and there are still two million cases pending in our courts.”

These were the issues that the government was trying to rectify, he contended.

The minister stressed that the reform would aim to give more power to the people. He said a Sindhi would remain Sindhi and a Punjabi would remain Punjabi. “No one will be asked to surrender their identity,” he assured the public.

Describing himself as the “biggest supporter of Islamabad province”, Naqvi called for the federal capital to receive its share of the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.

“Islamabad is the only city that does not get a single rupee from the budget of Pakistan,” he insisted, adding that declaring Islamabad a province would give its citizens their rights.

Naqvi stressed that the changes should be brought through “political consensus” and “according to the will of our people”. He added that if the nation did not want the new administrative units, they would not be created.

He emphasised that such a change could not be brought only according to the will of an individual, a political party or a government.

“Governments keep changing; policies keep changing; budgets come and go; and we keep making plans. But the biggest issue is how much we are able to deliver in the end,” the minister said.

He added that if, despite all the potential that Pakistan has, “we are still not getting the results, it is necessary to reset it (the system)”.

Citing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as an example, Naqvi said the politicians who came to power as mayors knew their citizens and their problems the best.

In July, Naqvi had proposed a dialogue among all political parties to bring about reforms to the current governance system, while also calling for new provinces and urgent administrative reforms.

His comments had ignited an animated debate across the country, with the PPP referring the question to its top decision-making forum, the Sindh chief minister flatly rejecting it, Lahore’s lawyers terming it unconstitutional and Sindhi nationalist groups demanding the minister’s resignation.

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