'The country's system is about to be reset': Naqvi says move will bring improvement in affairs

Interior minister says move won't be possible without the support of the business community

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Friday that the "country's system was about to be reset" and that this move would improve the state of affairs in Pakistan.

Addressing a ceremony of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry to congratulate its newly elected office-bearers, Naqvi stated that Pakistan should learn from the "experience and systems" of developed countries.

"I will not delve into the details right now, but I have been trying, and while we have achieved many things, I can tell you that the system of this country is going to be reset. For this reset to take place, we need the business community's support. When the system is reset, I remain hopeful that many things will improve," he remarked.

He said the solution to the country’s economic problems was to increase exports by any means possible, adding that whether the target was $170 billion or $9 billion, “every dollar is important” to him.

“Wherever you need me, I am available to you 24 hours a day. As long as I am sitting in this seat, I am here for you,” he told members of the chamber.

He said that over the past three to four months, he had frequently travelled to Iran for mediation efforts aimed at resolving the conflict between Tehran and Washington, which had engulfed the region since Feb 28, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran.

Naqvi said those who had not visited Iran might assume that the country, having been at war and under sanctions for 30 to 40 years, would be devastated, but those who travelled with him were surprised by the level of self-reliance there.

“They have a construction industry, an automobile industry — name anything and they manufacture it in their own country,” he said.

He urged the members to consider shifting towards “Made in Pakistan”, saying that if the goods currently imported from abroad were produced domestically, it would be highly beneficial for the country.

“If Iranians can manufacture and do everything themselves, why can’t we?” the minister asked.

While acknowledging that the country would continue to rely on oil imports, he said Pakistan also imported other goods worth more than $40 billion annually and that this bill could be reduced to $20 billion.

“This is also very easy to do. If we set targets of $10 billion and $5 billion and start working towards them, God willing, we can make significant progress in three to four years,” he said.

He suggested that the chamber should, alongside increasing exports, also prepare a “Made in Pakistan” proposal for Islamabad so that work could be undertaken on both fronts.

Read: Governance system has collapsed: Naqvi

On July 31, Naqvi had called for the creation of additional administrative units or provinces to overhaul the country's outdated governance system, stressing that meaningful structural reforms were essential to ensure justice and create opportunities for young people.

He urged all political parties to forge a consensus on major constitutional and governance issues and warned that the country would remain trapped in recurring crises without a structural change.

Addressing the Pakistan Economic Summit 2026 in Islamabad, Naqvi argued that Pakistan's current governance model had effectively "collapsed" after decades of failing to deliver, adding that decentralisation was essential to improve public services, ensure timely justice and create opportunities for a new generation of leaders.

"All those who are part of the current political system and fund it are present here. Not everything in this system is bad, but the common man needs the provision of basic services and facilities, which are not delivered," Naqvi said.

"The system we are living under has collapsed. You have been dragging this system for 70 years, and while we all want democracy, there are many forms within democracy. Problems cannot be solved through the current dispensation."

"I believe the people responsible for bringing Pakistan to its current state are sitting in this hall," he said, adding that if a system had failed to function effectively for 70 to 80 years, there must be fundamental flaws in its design.

He stated that the system was not able to dispense timely justice to the people of Pakistan despite the establishment of new courts, adding that administrative units would have to be taken to the people's level so that the common man could secure justice.

"The youth want only one thing, which is employment on merit, but we are not able to provide opportunities to them; if these cockroaches rise, they can overturn everything," he also noted.

Read More: Reset or another political ploy?

He predicted that even a decade from now the same discussions would continue unless structural reforms were undertaken.

Although describing himself as "the biggest supporter" of democracy, Naqvi had argued that democracy itself encompassed several models of governance.

"We all want democracy. I am the biggest supporter of democracy and will remain so. But there are five or six systems within democracy. Yet we insist that no matter what happens, we must continue dragging along the same one."

The minister further said Pakistan's growing debt burden required urgent attention, warning that continued borrowing without reforms would worsen the country's economic challenges.

"No matter how many seminars you conduct, the only solution is that political parties sit across the table and set aside their political differences in favour of Pakistan's national interest," Naqvi added.

The minister said the business community should play a greater role in economic policymaking, adding that the economy could not improve without their active participation.