Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has endorsed Dunya Group Chairman Mian Amer Mahmood’s proposal for creating new administrative units, saying Pakistan’s decades-old governance system requires structural reforms to bring decision-making closer to the people.
Speaking at the Economic Summit 2026 in Islamabad, Naqvi said the country’s existing administrative model had failed to address public needs effectively despite repeated efforts by successive governments. He argued that meaningful reforms would require broad political consensus rather than isolated policy measures.
Addressing business leaders, policymakers and industry representatives, Naqvi said many of the issues highlighted during the summit pointed to weaknesses in Pakistan’s governance structure rather than a lack of economic potential.
SYSTEM RESET
Naqvi said Pakistan has continued with the same governance model for more than seven decades, warning that if the existing system remained unchanged, the same challenges would still be discussed 10 years from now.
“I support democracy and believe in democratic governance,” he said, adding that democracies around the world operate under different models and Pakistan should also be willing to reform its own system.
He said Pakistan’s problems could not be blamed solely on external factors, adding that everyone, including political leaders, businesses and civil society, shared responsibility for improving the country’s governance.
Referring to Mian Amer Mahmood’s presentation, Naqvi said powers should be devolved to the grassroots level, whether through new provinces, administrative units or another model.
He argued 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 creating smaller administrative units would enable stronger local leadership to emerge and improve accountability, service delivery and governance.
He also called on political parties to engage in serious dialogue on constitutional and administrative reforms, saying the issue should rise above political differences.
ROLE OF BUSINESS COMMUNITY
The interior minister urged the business community to play a more active role in advocating structural reforms rather than limiting its engagement to election financing.
He said business leaders understand the country’s economic challenges and should collectively press for reforms that improve governance, administrative efficiency and investment