Naqvi advocates for creation of new provinces

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday said the existing governance system has collapsed, warning that the country’s longstanding issues cannot be resolved without fundamental reforms, including the creation of new administrative units.

Speaking at the 1st Pakistan Economic Summit 2026, the minister urged all political parties, including the opposition, to join hands to “reset the existing system”, insisting that it has completely collapsed.

“Unless we change this system, the issues confronting the country will not be solved. Let’s sit together. Set aside our differences for national interest,” he declared.

Naqvi reiterated that “if the existing system continues, the issues we have been discussing for quite long will not be solved even after 10 years.”

He said that the current governance structure, under which the country has been run for the past several years, is the sole reason it has lagged.

“If you decide to fix the existing system, it can be fixed within no time. It’s you people [businessmen] who are funding the system running under one pretext or the other,” he told the participants of the summit.

The minister said, “We all want democracy to flourish, but the democratic system under which our country is being governed is not going to work.”

“We all are democratic people, and I am also a huge proponent of democracy, but we need to switch to other forms of democracy, as there are three to four kinds of democratic systems in the world,” he added.

He reiterated that in the prevalent circumstances, the sole solution is decentralization of power through creation of more administrative units.

“We need to create more administrative units, and it’s up to you whether you name them administrative units, provinces or whatever, but we have to do it,” he added.

Naqvi said that the masses needed their basic needs and the youths want jobs on merit, which cannot be ensured through the existing governance system in the country.

“I have been in the corridors of politics for three and a half years,” he said. “Mark my words that you will be discussing the same issues even after ten years if drastic changes are not made to replace this flawed system.”

He said that the financial model should be transferred to the grassroots level; otherwise, there is no solution to the present situation.

“We need to discuss the matter in parliament, political parties’ level, universities, colleges, media and legal experts as well as civil society,’ he added.

He said that the discussion and debate should examine both the advantages and disadvantages of creating new administrative units before making any final decision.

Naqvi said that the country’s debt burden needs immediate attention, warning that continued borrowing without reforms would worsen the country’s economic challenges.

He said that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is working for 12 to 14 hours a day in the present system, and if he works for 18 hours a day, we will do only firefighting if we fail to reset the system.

The minister said that providing youth with small cash or tablets would not resolve our problems. We need to address Pakistan’s fundamental structural issues, he said.

He said that citizens should have access to government services and justice close to where they live rather than travelling long distances for basic administrative or judicial matters.

Naqvi said that creating smaller administrative units would enable stronger local leadership to emerge and improve accountability, service delivery and governance.

He urged the business community to understand the country’s economic challenges and play their role in reforms that improve governance, administrative efficiency and investment conditions.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026