Nawaz prioritises unity between govt, institutions after Naqvi’s ‘collapsed system’ remarks

• Nawaz asks PML-N leaders to avoid public reaction.
• Former PM stresses unity between govt, military leadership.
• Sources deny any rift between Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
  

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has directed senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders to avoid any public reaction to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s recent remarks on the country’s “collapsed system”, emphasising that Pakistan’s present circumstances demand complete unity among state institutions and continuity of the close working relationship between the elected government and military leadership.

According to the sources, Nawaz Sharif conveyed to party leaders that given Pakistan’s economic, political and security challenges, nothing should be allowed to create even the perception of differences between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir. 

He stressed that the extraordinary level of coordination and understanding presently existing between the government nothing should be allowed to create the impression of any difference between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government and the military leadership. 

He underscored the importance of preserving the existing understanding and close coordination between the prime minister and CDF Munir, saying that national interests demanded institutional harmony and collective efforts to address Pakistan’s challenges.

According to the sources, sentiments of several senior PML-N leaders were conveyed to Nawaz that if Mohsin Naqvi genuinely had concerns regarding governance failures or weaknesses in the administrative system, those issues should have been raised and discussed within the federal cabinet rather than at a public event.

They believed that by publicly declaring the system to be “collapsed,” Naqvi had unintentionally raised questions about the effectiveness of the prime minister’s own efforts to improve governance.

Some party leaders felt the speech created an impression that regardless of the government’s efforts, meaningful reform was impossible under the existing administrative structure, an impression they considered politically damaging and avoidable.

The sources, however, maintained that despite these internal concerns, there was no question of any confrontation between Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The sources insisted that the civil and military leadership remain on the same page regarding the country’s key priorities, including economic recovery, national security, investment facilitation and governance reforms. They rejected speculation suggesting any differences between the two sides.

Originally published in The News