LAHORE: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday that any decision to create new administrative units in the country should be based on the wishes of the people rather than the discretion of an individual, political party or government.
Addressing the National Policy Dialogue in Lahore, he said that a “reset” does not mean dismantling the existing system, but rather correcting what was not working.
“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,” Naqvi said.
Political consensus in Pakistan
He stressed that any reforms should be introduced through political consensus and in accordance with the will of the people. If the public did not support the creation of new administrative units, he said, they would not be established.
Naqvi emphasised that such a major change could not be undertaken solely at the discretion of an individual, political party or government.
“And this would only happen if the people want it and consent to it,” he maintained.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi says dialogue on new administrative units is essential, stressing that public opinion must be considered and consensus built through democratic means. He says existing flaws within the constitutional framework must also be addressed.… pic.twitter.com/ToXR9JUQEJ
— Pakistan TV (@PakTVGlobal) September 5, 2026
The interior minister called for a dialogue that would consider the positive and negative aspects of new units. “Draft a thing and present it to the people, asking them whether they accept it or not.”
The interior minister 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. Naqvi argued that the country’s existing administrative system had lost much of its effectiveness and that its “impact is not reaching the public at all”.
Highlighting some of the challenges facing the country, he 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, he said, were among the issues the government was seeking to address through reforms.
Islamabad province
Describing himself as the “biggest supporter of Islamabad province”, Naqvi called for the federal capital to receive its due share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.
“Islamabad is the only city that does not get a single rupee from the budget of Pakistan,” he said, arguing that declaring Islamabad a province would help ensure that its residents received their rights.
The minister also drew attention to the role of population in the distribution of the NFC Award, describing it as an “incentive” for the provinces.
“That incentive is present till today, so are we waiting for that bomb to explode? […] Does this not need to be reset?” he asked.
Naqvi said successive governments and changing policies had failed to deliver the desired results.
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“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,” he said.
He added that despite Pakistan’s considerable potential, the failure to achieve the desired outcomes showed that the system needed to be reset.
Naqvi said the debate over administrative reforms should not be framed around generational, tribal or regional divisions. Instead, he said, the objective should be “improved governance, a competent system and bringing people closer to the government”.
