Summary Mohsin Naqvi says new administrative units should be created according to public opinion, stressing constitutional reforms, decentralisation and better governance.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said that decisions regarding the creation of new administrative units should be based on public opinion, stressing that the people’s will must be respected and no individual or political party can prevent the formation of new administrative units.
Addressing the National Policy Dialogue in Lahore, Mohsin Naqvi said he would not back down from his position regardless of whether he remained in office. He said that a month and five days ago, he had spoken about the need to reset the system, but some people interpreted his remarks as being directed at the incumbent government while others linked them to the political system. He clarified that he had not referred to any particular political party.
The federal interior minister said that whenever a company was not functioning properly, everyone sat together to find ways to improve it. He said that if the country had been unable to achieve results even after 79 years, it was necessary to reset the system, adding that basic necessities must be available to every citizen.
Mohsin Naqvi said that today, even a fifth-grade student was unable to read ordinary sentences. He clarified that a reset did not mean breaking the system under any circumstances, but correcting what was wrong. He said the administrative structure had to be improved while remaining within the Constitution and that the system should be improved according to the will of the people.
He said if the public was in favour of administrative units, they should be created, stressing that public opinion must be respected. He urged that the decision on administrative units should be left to the people.
The minister further said Pakistan had become the world’s fifth-most populous country and that the system should be restructured after 79 years. He said it had to be acknowledged that a reset was needed, adding that the government was ready to create new tehsils and divisions, while objections were being raised whenever the issue of new administrative units was discussed.
Mohsin Naqvi said that whenever there was talk of transferring power to the grassroots level, objections were raised. He said that despite 79 years, the country had still been unable to send 25 million children to school. He added that 55 percent of Pakistanis still did not have access to clean drinking water, while 2 million cases were pending in courts and people continued to face difficulties in seeking justice.
He said parents were still seen waiting for healthcare and treatment for their children, while young people were demanding jobs and opportunities. Mohsin Naqvi said he was the strongest supporter of making Islamabad a province, pointing out that the citizens of Islamabad did not receive even a single rupee from the National Finance Commission (NFC). He said the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was selling its land to run the city’s affairs and questioned whether the citizens of Islamabad were not part of the people of Pakistan.
He said that if Islamabad was made a province, everyone should come together to support the move. He added that a person who came forward as mayor could run the government better. Referring to examples such as Mamdani and Sadiq Khan, he said that regardless of what was done, leaders of this kind would eventually emerge.
Mohsin Naqvi said emotional speeches were currently being made about new administrative units, but this was not something that would happen immediately. He stressed that the opinion of the people carried greater importance than that of political actors and urged people not to become emotional over the issue.
The interior minister said that if the people wanted new administrative units, they should be allowed to be created. He said the people were the biggest stakeholders when it came to the creation of new provinces.
Mohsin Naqvi said the decision on new provinces should be taken through national consensus. He said all political parties would have to sit together on the issue, while governments and parliament should jointly engage with and listen to the relevant stakeholders.
He stressed that the debate over provinces should not be based on language, ethnicity or caste. He said that even after the creation of southern or northern Punjab, he would remain a Punjabi, while a Sindhi would remain a Sindhi. Mohsin Naqvi said better governance must ultimately be brought closer to the people.
