PAKISTAN’S governance debate has reached a point where even a senior member of the government has described the existing system as having “collapsed” and called for changes in existing system. The remark was striking not because Pakistan’s governance problems are new, but because it came from within the government itself. For decades, Pakistan has experienced different forms of government, yet the same problems persist: weak institutions, poor law enforcement, administrative inefficiency, corruption, political interference and inadequate public services. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi further called for political parties to sit together and settle major national questions, including the creation of new administrative units. He subsequently reiterated that the government would complete its constitutional term, while maintaining that governance required structural change. The discussion has gradually developed into a broader consideration of whether the country’s present administrative arrangements are still suited to the changing scale and increasingly complex needs of its population.

The International Monetary Fund’s Governance and Corruption Diagnostic, published in 2025, identified persistent corruption risks, weak institutional efficiency, fragmented oversight, inconsistent enforcement of rules and constraints on the rule of law. The IMF’s assessment is significant because it treats governance not as an isolated political........

© Pakistan Observer