‘Cockroaches can overturn everything’:Pak HM Naqvi’s governance remark sparks debate; Army calls it his personal opinion

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has sparked a political debate after admitting that the country’s governance system has failed to address the problems of its people, particularly the youth. Speaking at the Pakistan Economic Summit in Islamabad, Naqvi said the current system was fundamentally incapable of solving the country’s challenges and called for sweeping administrative reforms. ‘Call them youth or cockroaches, they can overturn everything’ During his speech, Naqvi used the term “cockroaches” while referring to frustrated young people. “We are unable to give our youth what they want. Call them youngsters, call them cockroaches, or whatever you like. But if these cockroaches come together, they can overturn everything.” His remarks came as a social media campaign calling itself “Cockroach Party Pakistan” has been gaining attention online. The movement says it represents young Pakistanis fighting corruption, poor governance and the country’s worsening economic crisis. The group’s Instagram account has more than 1,14,000 followers and describes itself as a youth-led movement with the slogan: “Pakistan belongs to its people, not corrupt mafias.” Reference to India’s ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ Naqvi’s remarks have drawn attention because the “cockroach” symbol has already gained political significance in India. After a remark by India’s current Chief Justice Surya Kant, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) was formed and later led a major student movement that eventually forced India’s education minister to resign. Youth want justice, merit and jobs: Naqvi Naqvi said Pakistan’s youth were not looking for government handouts. According to him, young people want: He criticised policies focused on distributing stipends or tablets, saying such measures do not address the real concerns of young citizens. Naqvi warned that if young people united around their shared grievances, they could transform the country’s political landscape. Calls for complete system reset Naqvi argued that Pakistan’s financial problems reflect deeper structural failures. He said the federal government begins every budget with a deficit and focuses only on borrowing more money each year. According to Naqvi, no matter how hard the prime minister works, meaningful change is impossible unless the governance system is reset. He urged all political parties to sit together and agree on long-term administrative reforms to resolve Pakistan’s governance crisis. Pakistan Army calls it Naqvi’s personal opinion Naqvi’s comments were later raised during a press briefing with ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry. When asked whether the army agreed that Pakistan’s governance system had failed, Chaudhry declined to endorse the remarks. He said: “The interior minister’s comments are his personal opinion. I will not comment on them.” However, he added that good governance was only possible in a secure and stable Pakistan and that it was for political parties to decide how such governance should be achieved. Former President Arif Alvi blames those controlling the system Former Pakistan President Dr Arif Alvi also reacted to Naqvi’s statement on X. Alvi argued that the system itself had not failed; rather, those controlling it had destroyed it. He alleged that electoral manipulation had weakened Pakistan’s parliamentary democracy and said governments lacking a genuine public mandate had pushed the country towards crisis. Alvi also claimed that the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and the suppression of political opponents had further damaged democratic institutions. Debate over new administrative units Naqvi also proposed creating more administrative units, arguing that this would improve public service delivery and create space for new political leadership. However, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Secretary General Nayyar Bukhari said any proposal to create new provinces must follow Pakistan’s constitutional process. He said changes to provincial boundaries require approval by the concerned provincial assembly as well as a two-thirds majority in both the National Assembly and Senate, and cannot be implemented through executive orders alone.