Mohsin Naqvi Backs Major Administrative Reforms, Says Govt Will Complete Its Tenure

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has called for an independent third-party evaluation of all federal ministries, arguing performance should be assessed transparently with findings made public, while dismissing speculation about rifts with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif or the coalition government’s future. 

Naqvi said the most appropriate way to assess ministers is through impartial review rather than political debate, explicitly requesting the prime minister arrange third-party evaluations across every ministry with public results. He addressed criticism of his own cabinet attendance directly, saying his participation rate stands around 70%, while reiterating he would welcome independent audit of the Interior Ministry specifically and arguing the same standard should apply cabinet-wide.

The interior minister also stood by earlier remarks describing Pakistan’s governance system as fundamentally flawed over the past 80 years, saying the country would have achieved far greater progress under a properly functioning system. He was careful to separate this from criticism of the current government, asking rhetorically why he would issue what amounts to a charge sheet against his own administration, and clarified his critique targets the long-standing governance framework itself rather than the incumbent coalition.

Naqvi offered strong praise for Sharif specifically, describing him as working 14 to 16 hours daily despite difficult circumstances and crediting the government with achieving higher revenue collection and reforms within the Federal Board of Revenue. He argued that if Pakistan’s underlying governance system were improved, Sharif’s efforts could produce results a thousand times more effective — framing his structural critique as compatible with, rather than contradicting, confidence in current leadership.

Addressing persistent rumors about tension between himself and the prime minister, Naqvi said certain elements want to manufacture an impression of deteriorating relations, insisting he remains accountable to Sharif and continues meeting him regularly. He was equally direct about government stability, saying the coalition will complete its full constitutional term, that Sharif will serve the entire five-year period, and dismissing any suggestion of a leadership change, declaring the government isn’t going anywhere and that efforts to create uncertainty won’t succeed.

Naqvi’s remarks build on positions he outlined at the Economic Summit 2026, where he backed Dunya Group Chairman Mian Amer Mahmood’s proposal for creating new administrative units and devolving governmental powers. He argued Pakistan’s governance model needs restructuring to bring decision-making, justice, and public services closer to citizens, describing meaningful decentralization — whether through new provinces or other administrative arrangements — as essential to improving institutional strength and unlocking economic potential.

That stance places Naqvi somewhat at odds with fellow PML-N figure Rana Sanaullah, who recently dismissed new provinces as not currently on the party’s agenda and defended the existing 1973 constitutional framework as fundamentally sound, arguing any shortcomings reflect implementation failures rather than structural defects in the system itself. Whether this reflects a genuine internal policy divergence within PML-N, or simply different emphases on a question neither minister has framed as an immediate legislative priority, isn’t clarified by either statement alone.

Naqvi closed by reiterating that objective performance assessment and long-term institutional reform both remain necessary, arguing transparent accountability would let the public judge each ministry’s effectiveness based on measurable results rather than political narratives — a framing that positions his audit proposal as a mechanism for cutting through the kind of speculation and rumor he spent much of the interview addressing regarding his own standing and the government’s stability.