[2] Naqvi was born on 28 October 1978, in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan to a Punjabi Syed family with their ancestral roots lying in Jhang.

[7] In 2009, Naqvi, then associated with CNN, faced allegations of involvement in accepting substantial bribes to facilitate the acquittal of the Haris Steel Mills owner in a Rs 9 billion fraud case before the Supreme Court.

Criticism intensified following revelations of Naqvi's involvement in the controversial Haris Steel Case, where he reportedly entered into a plea bargain with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

[13] On 28 January 2023, following Naqvi's assumption of office as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab, the PTI lodged a petition against his appointment in the Supreme Court.

The petition further argued that the Election Commission and its members had breached constitutional and statutory obligations pertaining to the appointment of Naqvi as caretaker chief minister.

[15] During an interview on 29 January, Punjab Advocate General Ahmad Awais disclosed that shortly after Naqvi assumed the role of caretaker chief minister, he orchestrated significant illegal transfers, postings, and dismissals of officers across various law enforcement agencies.

[16] On 12 February, Naqvi purportedly breached the election code of conduct by participating in the groundbreaking event of Bab-e-Pakistan, contravening the ECP regulations that prohibited caretaker governments from engaging in such activities.

Additionally, the Punjab Advocate General Ahmad Awais remarked that the ceremony constituted a violation of the election act and was deemed unconstitutional.

[22] On 10 March 2024, following reports that Naqvi was set to join Shehbaz Sharif's federal cabinet as Interior Minister, both the PML-N and the PPP denied that he was their candidate.

[29] In April 2024, while in jail, Imran Khan said in an interview that "The king is sitting back," referring to Chief of Army Asim Munir, and claimed that Naqvi had assumed the role of "viceroy".

[31][32] Naqvi is a relative of Shujaat Hussain, with family divisions reportedly emerging during the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan in April 2022.

[36] On November 26, 2024, a large number of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters marched towards D-Chowk in Islamabad to participate in a protest organized in response to a call from their leader, Imran Khan.

[38] In January 2025, a serious diplomatic blunder occurred during his visit to the United States as Secretary of the Interior, force Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify its stance on the “One China” principle.

On 6 February, while serving as the caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab, he was also elected unopposed as full time 37th chairman of the PCB[43] for a three-year term.

[48] While an editorial in Pakistan Today also expressed disappointment with what it saw as an "unserious attitude towards cricket" from the PCB's political patrons, suggesting it may have contributed to the team's recent underperformance.

His performance as Interior Minister also drew criticism, with accusations from lawmaker, alleging involvement in corruption concerning sports and immigration.