ISLAMABAD – Former prime minister and Awaam Pakistan convener Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Saturday stated that the current state of affairs could not continue for much longer.
“I am grateful to my interior minister for acknowledging after four or five years that the country is not running,” he said and added it should have been discussed in parliament or the cabinet. The country knows it is not running, but the good thing is that the government has started acknowledging it. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Abbasi said that the military’s spokesperson had acknowledged this during his press conference on Friday adding that reforms was the only way to keep the country functioning. He, however, lamented that there are always people who do not want meaningful change. “This is a matter of interests; if we talk about reforms in this country, then those whose interests do not align with reforms will oppose the idea,: Abbasi added.
The former prime minister said the country was not being run well; we do not have money, and we are not ready to undertake reforms. “Reforms are needed in this country; otherwise, the situation will get worse. Your debts, costs and taxes will continue to rise.” He, however, was of the view that simply creating new provinces would not solve the issues, but that the entire system needs to be changed. “After 78 years, we have to even import wheat by spending precious dollars,” Abbasi lamented, alleging that those in power were more interested in purchasing official vehicles and aircraft than addressing the hardships faced by ordinary citizens.
Abbasi was of the view that constitutional supremacy and the rule of law were necessary for political stability and economic growth. “Without the rule of law, investment will not come, and without investment there can be no sustainable economic progress.” It is to mention here that various political parties have demanded the creation of more provinces or administrative units in the country to ensure better governance.
On Thursday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi urged all political parties to settle various national-level issues, including the question of creating new provinces. Addressing the Pakistan Economic Summit 2026 held in Islamabad, Naqvi said there was “only one solution” to improving the country’s overall condition: “You will have to take the matter of administrative units, provinces or whatever you may call it, to the public.”
