Pakistan is currently embroiled in intense debate over remarks made by Federal Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi, who advocated for creating new provinces or administrative units. Naqvi argued that the country’s current administrative structure is failing because the system has collapsed, urging all political parties to settle key national issues, including the question of provincial restructuring.

He went on to warn the ruling political parties that superficial perks, such as monthly stipends and free tablets, fall far short of what today's youth actually demand: systemic reform and merit-based employment. Conceding that the government is currently failing to deliver on these expectations, Naqvi cautioned that if young people whom he referred to using the moniker "cockroaches," popularized during recent student protests in India were to unite, "they can turn everything upside down.

The irony of Naqvi’s remarks is undeniable, as he is among the biggest beneficiaries of the very system he critiques. Rising from entry-level employment to media mogul, caretaker Chief Minister, and now Pakistan’s most powerful Interior Minister, Naqvi’s reach spans far and wide. Acting as an aide to Field Marshal Asim Munir during the Iran war on behalf of Rawalpindi, he effectively sidelined the Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. He also chairs the lucrative Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and personally traveled to the US to oversee Boeing purchases for PIA. For someone yielding such immense influence, his complaints of system failure ring starkly.

Nevertheless, his points regarding structural reform resonate. Pakistan faces a looming demographic crisis with a 3% growth rate and a population of 250 million 64% of whom are under 30. For these 140 million young people, even foreign degrees offer little guarantee of a future, as lucrative jobs are routinely funneled to the well-connected elite through a corrupt political and bureaucratic apparatus.

Pakistan’s youth currently contend with systemic favoritism and nepotism spanning job recruitment, sports administration, and public service entry. Widespread corruption, transactional........

© The Friday Times