Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday called for sweeping administrative reforms, saying Pakistan's existing governance system had collapsed and could no longer effectively address the country's challenges.
He said Pakistan would continue to face the same challenges over the next decade unless fundamental reforms were introduced. "If this system continues, we will still be sitting here 10 years from now discussing the same issues," he said.
The security czar said the country needed to address its basic structural issues, adding that administrative changes were necessary. "You have to move towards administrative units. Call them provinces or give them any other name," he added.
The interior minister went on to say that he was a strong supporter of democracy but noted that different democratic systems existed. He also stressed the need to provide employment opportunities on merit, saying young people wanted jobs through a fair process rather than financial handouts.
"Young people have only one demand: they want jobs on merit," Naqvi said.
The federal minister further said Pakistan's growing debt burden required urgent attention, warning that continued borrowing without reforms would worsen the country's economic challenges.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif worked 12 to 14 hours a day, but added that even 18-hour workdays amounted to "firefighting" without broader institutional reforms.
The interior minister said powers should be devolved to lower administrative levels and provinces should be divided on administrative grounds to improve governance and speed up development.
He said the business community should play a greater role in economic policymaking, adding that the economy could not improve without its participation.
Naqvi also called for political differences to be set aside in favour of national interest and said the current system was not entirely flawed, but required comprehensive reforms to deliver lasting improvements.
