Administrative Units Will Be Created, Says Mohsin Naqvi
LAHORE: Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has categorically said that new administrative units will be created, stressing that neither an individual, political party nor elected representatives can prevent the move if the people want it.
Addressing the National Policy Dialogue in Lahore, Naqvi said, “God willing, administrative units will be created. No individual, political party or representative can stop them. I will not back down from this issue, whether I remain in this position or not.”
He said the country’s existing administrative structure had largely failed to deliver the desired results and that a “reset” was necessary. However, he clarified that resetting the system did not mean dismantling it, but correcting what was not working.
“The system should be reset within the democratic and constitutional framework rather than being broken,” he said, adding that his remarks about restructuring the administrative system had been given various political and incorrect interpretations.
Naqvi stressed that any decision regarding the creation of new provinces or administrative units should ultimately be based on public opinion.
He clarified that his remarks were not directed at any particular political party or political arrangement, but concerned the system that had continued for the past 79 years without producing the desired outcomes.
“If a company is not performing properly, its people sit together and make corrections. In the same way, we need to improve our system through political consensus and the will of the people, while remaining within the democratic and constitutional framework,” he said.
Discussing the creation of new provinces and administrative units, the interior minister endorsed journalist Hamid Mir’s position and said he was a strong supporter of making Islamabad a separate province.
He compared the need for administrative restructuring to the expansion of a family, saying that decades ago a family might live in one house, but as the family grows, it may require two, four or even more houses.
Similarly, he said, increasing population and growing public needs made the creation of new administrative units increasingly necessary.
Naqvi appealed for the question of new provinces and administrative units to be left entirely to the people.
“If the people of the country want new administrative units, they should be created. If they do not want them, there should be no force involved,” he said.
He stressed that the constitutional right of citizens to express their will must be respected by all institutions and political forces.
Naqvi reiterated that administrative restructuring should be aimed at improving governance and addressing the needs of a growing population, rather than serving the interests of any individual or political group.
