Mohsin Naqvi's New Provinces Proposal: How Feasible Is It?

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The System Has Collapsed'
How Feasible Is Mohsin Naqvi's New Provinces Proposal, and Who Gets to Decide?

The Pakistan Times — Islamabad, July 30, 2026

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has reignited one of Pakistan's most sensitive constitutional debates, declaring that the country's governance system has "collapsed" and calling for the creation of new administrative units or provinces. The remarks, delivered at Pakistan's first Economic Summit in Islamabad, have raised fresh questions over how such a proposal would actually be implemented and who holds the authority to make that decision.

What Naqvi Said

Addressing the summit, Naqvi opened by saying he would need to make "a bit of a political speech," before telling the audience, "Whether people accept it or not, the system has collapsed. If this system continues, we will still be discussing the same issues 10 years from now," according to Daily Times. He argued that public services, justice, and decision-making needed to be brought closer to citizens by devolving administrative authority, stating, "You have to take the system to administrative units or provinces, whatever name you want to give them." Naqvi drew comparisons with India and Indonesia, noting that both countries had expanded their number of states or provinces over time, and suggested Pakistan should not hesitate to hold a similar debate.

According to The Express Tribune, Naqvi urged all political parties to build consensus on major constitutional and governance questions, warning that the country would remain trapped in recurring crises without structural change. He also referenced the youth-led protest movements seen recently in India, remarking that if Pakistan's own young people, whom he referred to using the "cockroach" term recently popularised by such protests, united in similar fashion, "they can turn everything upside down."

Who Actually Decides

Naqvi was notably careful to frame the proposal as something requiring broad political consensus rather than a unilateral government decision. According to Daily Times, he said the matter should ultimately be put to a nationwide debate spanning parliament, universities, and the media, adding, "If the people want power centres closer to them, then it should be done. If they don't, then it shouldn't." Legal experts weighing in on the proposal offered some clarity on the constitutional mechanics involved. Senior lawyer and Pakistan Bar Council member Ahsan Bhoon, speaking at the same summit, said Pakistan's Constitution does provide room for administrative restructuring, noting that Article 1 allows for the creation of administrative units, the declaration of federal territories, and changes to provincial boundaries through defined constitutional procedures, according to Daily Times.

Part of a Broader Political Push

Naqvi's remarks arrived just as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) escalated its own long-standing demand for new provinces, particularly within Sindh. According to The Express Tribune, MQM-P federal minister Mustafa Kamal said the party would now take its campaign for new provinces "from parliament to the streets" after what he described as exhausting constitutional and democratic avenues, arguing that Pakistan's governance structure requires further decentralisation. The overlap between Naqvi's remarks and MQM-P's renewed push suggests the new provinces debate may be gaining fresh political momentum beyond a single minister's personal view.

Economic Concerns Alongside Governance Reform

Naqvi used the same address to raise concerns about Pakistan's growing debt burden, comparing the country's budgeting approach to a household that starts every month already short of funds yet continues borrowing regardless, according to Daily Pakistan. He said no meaningful economic progress was possible without structural reforms running in parallel with fiscal discipline, and called on the business community and political leadership to work together toward consensus-based change.

What Comes Next

According to Naqvi's own framing of the proposal, no formal government process for creating new provinces has been announced, and he explicitly described the idea as requiring cross-party consensus and public debate rather than an immediate legislative move. Attention will now turn to whether political parties, including MQM-P and others that have previously called for new provinces, take up Naqvi's invitation to formalise the debate in parliament.

Read More:>>>Saudi Arabia Announces New Maritime Defense Alliance as Pakistan, Türkiye and 14 Nations Back Initiative

Sources: The Express Tribune,

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