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ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has stirred fresh political debate after claiming that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is the most powerful minister in the federal government and, in several matters, is not even answerable to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Speaking during a television interview on Monday, Asif delivered unusually candid remarks about Naqvi’s role in the current administration, suggesting that the interior minister operates outside the conventional framework of the federal cabinet. According to Asif, Naqvi has remained largely absent from the government’s routine decision-making process despite holding one of the country’s most influential portfolios. He said he had seen the interior minister attend only “two or three” cabinet meetings since the government took office. The defence minister also questioned Naqvi’s parliamentary presence, claiming the interior minister had appeared in Parliament only seven or eight times. He suggested that if a minister with such influence was publicly expressing dissatisfaction with the existing governance structure, it reflected poorly on the entire government. “If Mohsin Naqvi himself is complaining about the system, then perhaps we should simply go home,” Asif remarked, underscoring what he described as deep institutional weaknesses. His comments came in response to Naqvi’s recent statement warning that Pakistan’s current administrative structure had become too weak to effectively address the country’s long-standing challenges. The interior minister had argued that if the existing governance model continued unchanged, Pakistan could still be facing the same problems a decade from now. He maintained that creating new administrative units or provinces had become essential for improving governance, accelerating development and delivering public services more efficiently. Naqvi said the existing system had outlived its usefulness and was no longer capable of resolving the country’s growing administrative and governance issues. Asif’s remarks have added a new dimension to the ongoing debate over institutional reforms and the balance of power within the federal government. His observations also highlight differing perspectives within the ruling coalition on how Pakistan’s governance challenges should be addressed. The exchange between the two senior ministers is likely to fuel further political discussion, particularly over proposals to create new provinces and reform the country’s administrative framework—an issue that has periodically resurfaced in Pakistan’s political discourse but has remained politically contentious for years.

The Peshawar High Court has rejected asylum petitions filed by two former Afghan military officers seeking temporary protection and permission to remain in Pakistan. The petitioners, Abdul Mujeeb Ghairat and Baryalai Sharifi, had approached the court after expressing fears for their safety if they were forced to return to Afghanistan. They requested permission to stay in Pakistan temporarily. They also sought extensions of their visas and protection from arrest, harassment and deportation. The former Afghan servicemen argued that returning to Afghanistan could expose them to serious threats to their lives because of their previous positions in the Afghan security establishment. According to court documents, Ghairat had worked as a special agent with the protective service of the former Afghan president. Sharifi had served as a general in the former Afghan National Army. The two petitioners submitted Afghan passports and other documents to support their requests. They also referred to their need for emergency medical treatment and temporary residence in Pakistan. Ghairat told the court that he had already submitted an online application seeking an extension of his Pakistani visa. After examining the petitions, the court ruled that the applicants had not established any violation of their fundamental constitutional rights. The court observed that fears about possible threats after returning to Afghanistan, without sufficient supporting evidence, could not by themselves justify intervention under Article 199 of the Constitution. The court also clarified that decisions concerning the stay of foreign nationals in Pakistan fall within the authority of the relevant government departments. It said matters involving the issuance, extension or cancellation of visas and immigration status are governed by applicable laws and are primarily handled by the executive authorities. The court therefore declined to grant the requested relief to the two former Afghan officers.