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IT is not so much what he said as who said it. We all know that the existing political system has failed to deliver, but that admission coming from the all-powerful interior minister raises many questions. Mohsin Naqvi is himself a product of a system whose legitimacy he is now questioning. His statement points to the unravelling of the hybrid arrangement. What he said cannot be dismissed as merely his personal views, given his perceived association with the powers that be.
Speaking at the Pakistan Economic Summit last week, the interior minister said the current system of governance had “collapsed” and that it was fundamentally incapable of resolving the country’s problems. He stressed the need for structural reform to address Pakistan’s mounting challenges.
No one can disagree with Naqvi’s assertion. But his suggestion of creating new administrative units as a means of improving governance and his thinly veiled criticism of his own government’s policies have laid bare the fault lines within the hybrid political structure established after the controversial 2024 elections. Naqvi’s statement was later tacitly endorsed by the military spokesman, who also urged political parties to consider an administrative reset to improve governance, arguing that the country’s security and stability depended on adapting its governance structure to the requirements of modern times and a growing population.
