'Better late than never': Khawaja Asif supports Naqvi's call for system overhaul

While leaders of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) criticised the remarks made by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in regards to the country's political system, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif defended him on Saturday and suggested that he must talk about the issue in the parliament and in the federal cabinet.

Naqvi, earlier this week, expressed his desire for the establishment of more administrative or provincial divisions to transform the existing governance structure, which he termed as archaic in nature.

At the Pakistan Economic Summit 2026 in Islamabad, he claimed that the current political and administrative system of the country had virtually collapsed after years of inefficiencies in providing services to the citizens.

His remarks have received different reactions, ranging from support to criticism; however, some of the leaders of PML-N have strongly opposed him, referring him to be one of those who have benefitted from the existing governance structure. One such person was Rana Sanaullah, PML-N leader and Prime Minister's advisor, who asked how Naqvi can speak ill about the existing system when he rose to become the interior minister within three-and-half-years.

However, Asif took a different position from his party colleague, saying he largely agreed with the interior minister's assessment.

"Mohsin Naqvi Sahib expressed his views on the system's shortcomings. Personally, I largely agree with these views," the defence minister said in a post on X.

Saying that “Naqvi himself is a powerhouse,” Asif added that as a political worker he felt that over the decades, Pakistan’s political system had developed in line with group and personal interests and it needed to be released from them.

However, he said that if the aim was to build and make changes to the system then the forum where this discussion should take place was the parliament, of which Naqvi was a member, or the federal cabinet.

“This will build these institutions and the system, and the change will take place through constitutional means,” Asif said.

Terming Naqvi “a highly respected and credible member of the cabinet,” Asif said that the discussions on these wide-ranging reforms would be of more value if done at the proper constitutional forum rather than before “a captive audience” of businessmen.

He pointed out that over the last three and a half years, Naqvi had held some of the most influential posts in the country and if this was an issue of reforms then Naqvi could have done that in the past three and a half years.

“Better late than never,” Asif said.

While referring to the National Action Plan (NAP), Asif, the defense minister, pointed out that the Director General of the ISPR recently alluded to its 13 points.