ISLAMABAD: Just two days after seconding the formula for new administrative units in the country, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has issued a detailed response to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s remarks on the “failure of the system,” broadly endorsing Naqvi’s underlying critique while pointedly questioning the forum in which it was raised and Naqvi’s own record on reform.
Khawaja Asif pushes formula of administrative unit for Karachi and Gwadar
In a post on X, Khawaja Asif said he largely agreed with Naqvi’s observations on the commercialisation of the system, adding that Naqvi himself is a formidable political figure.
He said the system’s evolution has, for decades, been shaped by group and personal interests, and that as a political worker he strongly believes the system needs to be freed from such influence. However, he argued that if the system is to be genuinely strengthened and fundamental change brought about, the proper forum for that conversation is Parliament — noting that Naqvi is himself a member of Parliament — or, alternatively, the federal cabinet.
محسن نقوی صاحب نے سسٹم کی کسمپرسی پہ اپنے خیالات کا اظہار کیا۔ میں ذاتی طور پہ ان خیالات سے کم و بیش اتفاق کرتا ھوں ۔ نقوی صاحب تو ماشا ءاللہ خود ایک پاور ھاؤس ھیں میں بھی بحثیت ایک سیاسی ورکر شدت سے محسوس کرتا ھوں سسٹم کا ارتقائ عمل یا evolution کا پراسیس دہائیوں سے گروہی و…
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) August 1, 2026
Asif said routing the debate through these institutions would strengthen them and ensure that any change follows a constitutional process. He described Naqvi as a highly respected member of the cabinet who attends parliamentary and cabinet proceedings only occasionally, and said that raising such a significant subject outside these forums — instead in a discussion with members of the business community — carried little weight in his view. He added that he would welcome the same points being raised in the relevant constitutional forums.
The Defence Minister further noted that Naqvi has held some of the most powerful positions within the current system for roughly three and a half years, and said that had he wished to pursue changes to the system or push it forward, he had ample opportunity to do so — adding that better late than never.
Asif also referenced this week’s press briefing by the DG ISPR, in which the military spokesman had cited the National Action Plan’s 13 points, noting that the single point falling under the armed forces’ responsibility was being implemented, including through the sacrifices of soldiers, while the remaining twelve points — which fall under the Interior Ministry’s domain — remain unimplemented. Addressing Naqvi directly, Asif said that if he wished to begin reforming the system, he should start by implementing the National Action Plan within his own ministry, adding that were he to do so, both the business community and the nation at large would stand behind him.
Asif’s remarks add a significant voice from within the federal cabinet to the widening debate triggered by Naqvi’s July 30 proposal for new administrative units, which has since drawn reactions from ANP President Aimal Wali Khan and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, among others.
