New Delhi: Pakistan’s system of governance has “collapsed” and is no longer capable of addressing its mounting political and economic challenges, the country’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Thursday. Naqvi, known to be close to Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, went on to say that Pakistan’s “cockroaches” could overturn the country if they united.
As a Shia, Naqvi take a unique place in Pakistan’s power structure; he’s also a key part of the country’s relationship with neighbouring Iran, making him even more vital amid Islamabad’s ongoing effort to mediate in the West Asia conflict.
Speaking at the Pakistan Economic Summit in Islamabad, Naqvi called for the creation of separate administrative units to bring reforms in the country. Among the changes he proposed was the reorganisation of Pakistan’s administrative structure, saying the country should move toward creating additional administrative units, whether they are designated as provinces or by another name. He also called for greater devolution of powers to lower levels of government, arguing that decentralisation would improve governance and accelerate development.
“The system we are living under has collapsed whether you agree or not. Problems cannot be solved through it. If this system continues, we will still be sitting here 10 years from now discussing the same issues,” he said.
Naqvi claimed that he remained a supporter of democracy, but democratic systems could take different institutional forms. At the same time, he ruled out the possibility of Pakistan adopting a presidential system, saying the current government would complete its constitutional term.
Addressing youth unemployment, the interior minister said young Pakistanis were seeking opportunities based on merit rather than financial assistance. “We cannot make the youth happy with a 10,000 salary or tablets now. Call them youth, call them cockroaches or what you may— if these cockroaches unite, they can overturn everything. For that it is important, we need to fulfil their wishes and all they demand is merit-based employment,” he added.
He also expressed concern over Pakistan’s growing debt burden, saying that continued borrowing without institutional reforms would deepen the country’s economic difficulties.
“We make federal budgets negative. All the political parties know it but no one wants to change it. We keep borrowing more, increasing our debt despite how hard you try to balance it. The system needs to be reset and all the political parties need to come together and speak to the new administrative units, otherwise nothing will change,” he added.
“Shehbaz Sharif works 14-18 hours but no matter what we do, we are in firefighting mode,” Naqvi said.
Later, speaking informally with reporters, the interior minister said that efforts by Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir would not produce lasting results unless politicians united to overhaul Pakistan’s governance system. “Unless politicians fix the country’s system, the Field Marshal’s hard work will be of no benefit,” Naqvi said, adding that Munir had repeatedly stated he would not allow democracy to be derailed.
He spoke about Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, yet made no mention of protests and violence in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir where more than 100 people have been killed by the Pakistan Army.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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