Mohsin Naqvi - the second most powerful figure in Pakistan's present hybrid system - made a series of striking admissions during the Economic Summit in Islamabad. Not known for polished public speaking or political sophistication, he nevertheless delivered a carefully calibrated message that appeared to reflect thinking within the power structure itself. Coming from somebody thought of as the de facto prime minister, the speech suggested a system searching for a way out of its current predicament, albeit on its own terms.

Describing the present governance model as "tardy" and "a total flop", Naqvi called for an urgent "reset" backed by all political forces. Otherwise, he warned, Pakistan could face a public backlash similar to the recent rise of the youth-led Cockroach Party in India, whose protests unsettled the political establishment there and enforced a minister's resignation.

Naqvi acknowledged that young people cannot be appeased merely by distributing a few thousand rupees or laptops - an implicit swipe at PML-N's longstanding laptop and stipend schemes. He also questioned the PPP's resistance to revisiting the 18th Amendment, arguing that Pakistan needs more administrative units for better governance. In doing so, he quietly revived the debate over creating new provinces.

Taken together, Naqvi's speech reflected an apparent recognition that the absence of political legitimacy has rendered the present governance arrangement increasingly ineffective. We have hit a........

© The Express Tribune