LAHORE(National Times)- Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday said that any new administrative units in the country would only be formed if the people voiced their support for such a move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Addressing the National Policy Dialogue in Lahore, he said, \u201cReset does not mean breaking the system. Under no circumstances does it mean breaking the system. It means that whatever is wrong should be changed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Naqvi stressed that the changes should be brought through \u201cpolitical consensus\u201d and \u201caccording to the will of our people\u201d. He added that if the nation did not want the new administrative units, they would not be created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He emphasised that such a change could not be brought about only based on the will of an individual, a political party or a government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd this would only happen if the people want it and consent to it,\u201d he maintained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The interior minister called for a dialogue that would consider the positive and negative aspects of new units. \u201cDraft a thing and present it to the people, asking them whether they accept it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the question of how many new administrative units should be created with what territorial limits, Naqvi emphasised the need to review their \u201cbenefits, methods and financial consequences\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMost importantly, our parliament, experts and those people responsible for it should debate on it, and finally, we must seek our public\u2019s opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The minister clarified that his comments from last month were not about any particular political party, but rather about the \u201csystem\u201d that has been in place since the country\u2019s independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Naqvi called for undertaking the proposed administrative reforms as per the Constitution. \u201cIt has to be done through democratic means.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnder no circumstances are we ready to accept that we have become so incapable that we cannot reset this system,\u201d he said, calling for political parties to hold deliberations on the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The interior minister asserted he would not abandon the idea, adding that many \u201cemotional\u201d speeches were being made about the administrative units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He urged politicians not to get emotional about the topic, adding that the change was not one that would happen overnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The minister contended that the country\u2019s administrative system had lost its effectiveness and its \u201cimpact is not reaching the public at all\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Acknowledging administrative issues, Naqvi said, \u201cEven 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These were the issues that the government was trying to rectify, he contended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Describing himself as the \u201cbiggest supporter of Islamabad province\u201d, Naqvi called for the federal capital to receive its share of the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIslamabad is the only city that does not get a single rupee from the budget of Pakistan,\u201d he insisted, adding that declaring Islamabad a province would give its citizens their rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The minister also highlighted the population factor in the disbursement of the NFC award, saying it remained an \u201cincentive\u201d for provinces. \u201cThat incentive is present till today, so are we waiting for that bomb to explode? [\u2026] Does this not need to be reset?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Naqvi further said, \u201cGovernments 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that if, despite all the potential that Pakistan has, \u201cwe are still not getting the results, it is necessary to reset it (the system)\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Citing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as an example, Naqvi said the politicians who came to power as mayors knew their citizens and their problems the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The minister stressed that the proposed reforms would aim to empower the people. He said a Sindhi would remain Sindhi and a Punjabi would remain Punjabi. \u201cNo one will be asked to surrender their identity,\u201d he assured the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that the discussion on the proposed reforms was not supposed to be based on generational, tribal or regional divides. \u201cIts aim is improved governance, a competent system and bringing people closer to the government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Concluding his address, Naqvi reiterated: \u201cIn no circumstances should we stray from the will of the people. All political parties will have to deliberate on this. It cannot be one person\u2019s issue or one province\u2019s decision.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added, \u201cIf this is what the public wants, then it will happen no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In July, Naqvi had proposed a dialogue among all political parties to bring about reforms to the current governance system, while also calling for new provinces and urgent administrative reforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His comments had ignited an animated debate across the country, with the PPP referring the question to its top decision-making forum, the Sindh chief minister flatly rejecting it, Lahore\u2019s lawyers terming it unconstitutional and Sindhi nationalist groups demanding the minister\u2019s resignation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAHORE(National Times)- Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday said that any new administrative units in the country would only be formed if the people voiced their support for such a move. Addressing the National Policy Dialogue in Lahore, he said, \u201cReset does not mean breaking the system. Under no circumstances does it mean breaking the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n