Naqvi rules out govt early exit, says will complete term

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday said the government would complete its constitutional five-year term, asserting that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would remain in office for the full tenure.

Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, Naqvi dismissed speculation about the government's future, saying the current system was "going nowhere".

"The government will complete its five-year constitutional term," he said. "Shehbaz Sahib will remain prime minister for five years. People can say whatever they want or interpret my remarks however they like, but he will complete his term as prime minister."

Responding to a question about his absence from a cabinet meeting and criticism of his performance, Naqvi said he was answerable only to the prime minister.

“I would request the prime minister to conduct an audit of all ministries and evaluate the performance of each ministry. Whatever the results are, they should be made public so that people can see which ministry is performing and to what extent,” he said adding that his attendance at cabinet meetings was around 70 per cent.

He also stood by his earlier remarks about the collapse of the system, saying he had been referring to a system that had deteriorated over the past 80 years.

“First of all, I still stand by my view that the system has been completely destroyed. I was referring to an 80-year-old system that has deteriorated, and I still believe that the system built over these 80 years is broken because if it had been functioning properly, the country would have progressed much further,” he said.

He praised Shehbaz's work ethic, saying the premier worked between 14 and 16 hours a day.

"The point is that if we have a prime minister who works 14 to 16 hours a day and the system improves, the results will be a thousand times better," he said.

The interior minister said the country had made progress despite difficult circumstances, citing reforms in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), improvements brought about by the prime minister and diplomatic achievements.

"Even under the worst circumstances, the prime minister introduced reforms in the FBR, brought about change, achieved success and elevated Pakistan diplomatically. So many reforms have taken place," he said.

Naqvi said he believed Pakistan could have progressed much faster if the prime minister had inherited a properly functioning system.

"Even today, I believe that if the prime minister had been given a better system, he would have moved the country forward 100 times faster," he said.

Responding to a question, the minister dismissed speculation about differences between him and the prime minister.

"Many people wish to see my relations with the prime minister deteriorate," he said.