Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Friday said good governance is essential for Pakistan's security, stressing that the country's challenges cannot be resolved without meaningful governance reforms.
Speaking during a media briefing, the military spokesperson said Pakistan's security is closely linked to effective governance and called for concrete measures to improve the country's administrative and governance systems.
Responding to a question about recent remarks by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi regarding Pakistan's political system, Lt Gen Chaudhry said the minister's comments reflected his personal opinion.
"The statement of the interior minister is his personal opinion. I will not comment on it," he said.
However, he added that good governance remains indispensable for addressing Pakistan's problems.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said that if good governance requires an administrative reset or structural changes, they should be considered, but only through constitutional and legal means.
"If good governance demands an administrative reset, it should happen. If change is needed, it should happen. We all want good governance," he said.
He added that if existing problems remain unresolved, it indicates that reforms are necessary to improve governance.
"All this should be done in a constitutional and legal manner, with the opinion of political representatives and the people of Pakistan," he said, stressing that "the will of the people is supreme."
National Action Plan and governance
The DG ISPR said all political parties had reached consensus on the 14 points of the National Action Plan (NAP), adding that effective implementation and good governance are necessary to strengthen national security.
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"Without good governance, the country's issues cannot be resolved," he said, adding that the persistence of existing challenges indicates that improvements are needed.
Population growth and administrative reforms
Referring to Pakistan's growing population, Lt Gen Chaudhry said the country's population had increased from around 70 to 80 million in 1972 to more than 250 million today.
Asked about the possibility of creating new provinces or administrative units, he said such decisions rest with the people and the constitutional process, rather than the state alone.
Naqvi backs governance reforms
Earlier this week, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi reiterated that the current government would complete its constitutional term and called on all political parties to work together to improve Pakistan's governance and democratic system.
Speaking informally with journalists in Islamabad, Naqvi said he was not advocating a presidential system and stressed that institutional reforms should be pursued within the existing constitutional framework.
He urged major political parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to cooperate on reforms aimed at strengthening governance.
