Govt Will Complete Tenure, Shehbaz to Remain PM for Five Years: Naqvi

Pakistan's incumbent government will complete its constitutional five-year term, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif serving the full duration, according to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Naqvi made these remarks outside the Interior Ministry in Islamabad, a week after publicly stating that the country's governance system had "collapsed."

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The future for the government is the completion of its five-year tenure … Shehbaz sahib will remain the prime minister for five years … the prime minister will complete his five-year term.

Naqvi stood by his earlier assessment, clarifying that his comments referred to the "80-year-old system" that has been in place, not the current administration itself. "The system has been destroyed," he asserted, explaining that if it were functioning properly, Pakistan would have achieved greater heights. He emphasized that he was not "charge-sheeting" the government, as he is part of the administration.

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Even today, I maintain that the system that has been in place for the last 80 years is destroyed, because if it had been functioning, Pakistan would have reached new heights.

He praised Prime Minister Sharif's work ethic, noting that the premier works 14 to 16 hours daily. Naqvi pointed to several achievements under the current government, including a significant increase in revenue collected by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), an improved diplomatic standing globally, and the introduction of numerous reforms. He suggested that with a better system, the prime minister's efforts could have yielded even greater results for the country.

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If you have a prime minister who works 14 to 16 hours a day, and if the current situation improves, the results will be a thousand times better.

Naqvi's statements follow a call from the military's spokesperson for political parties to consider an administrative reset to enhance governance, arguing that Pakistan's security and stability depend on adapting its governance structure to modern demands and a growing population. The interior minister briefly addressed potential attempts by some individuals to create rifts between himself and the prime minister.

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I still believe today that if the prime minister had operated within a better system, he could have taken this country forward a hundred times more.