- NAB reforms to ensure transparent selection of leadership.
- The anti-corruption plan is aimed at the main high-risk departments.
- Banks to access asset data of officials.
Pakistan has assured the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it will implement key anti-corruption reforms, including publicly disclosing asset declarations of public officials and granting greater operational autonomy to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as per agreed structural benchmarks by January 2027. The news reported.
To provide independence and operational autonomy to the main anti-corruption agency, NAB’s institutional independence will be ensured through a transparent selection process for senior management and the publication of operational and statistical rules, based on the new structural benchmark set by the end of January 2027.
The government has made a written commitment to the IMF to review and improve the NAB chairman appointment process.
Under the direction of the Anti-Corruption and AML/CFT Committee, proposed amendments to the NAB Ordinance will be developed and presented to Parliament to: (i) adopt predetermined qualification criteria (e.g. years of experience, integrity standards); (ii) establish an open and competitive selection process based on merit; and (iii) appoint a multi-sector commission of stakeholders (with representatives from the government, opposition, judiciary, public administration, academia and civil society) to carry out open, rules-based, rigorous and transparent procurement.
“The government will also publish NAB’s standard operating rules and procedures, as well as annual statistics on the investigation, prosecution and conviction of corruption offenses on the NAB website,” the government assured the IMF.
Pakistan and the IMF agreed to complete the third review under the $7 billion Expanded Fund Facility (EFS) programme. Under this agreement, Islamabad will strengthen institutional capacities and take further measures to fight corruption to support inclusive growth and a level playing field for business and investment.
Publication of asset declarations of senior federal officials will be achieved by the end of December 2026. The Establishment Division has revised the Public Officials (Conduct) Rules requiring: (i) centralized digital submission and collection of asset declarations; (ii) risk-based verification; and (iii) disclosure statements with limited restrictions on sensitive personal information.
The Establishment Division will revise the declaration form to specify restrictions on sensitive personal information by the end of May 2026 and, in coordination with the FBR, develop a framework for risk-based verifications.
The FBR will develop a digital platform for filing asset declarations by the end of June 2026 to facilitate the implementation of the reform.
To grant access to asset declarations for anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-financing of terrorism (CFT) purposes, the SBP, FBR and FMU will continue to support banks’ access to asset declarations of senior federal public officials (BPS 17-22).
The FBR has issued a notification to extend the access of banks to cover asset declarations of any official of the federal or provincial governments or of autonomous bodies, corporations and companies owned by such governments. To improve awareness among banks, by June 2026, the government will publish access statistics on the FBR website.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), commissioned by the Anti-Corruption and AML/CFT Committee, constituted by the Prime Minister of Pakistan and chaired by the Minister of Law and Justice, has been appointed to lead the development of an action plan to mitigate corruption vulnerabilities in the top ten government departments identified as having the highest corruption risks. This plan must be completed by the end of October 2026 as a structural reference.
To guide the development of the plan, in consultation and agreement with IMF staff, the Anti-Corruption and AML/CFT Committee will, by the end of June 2026, develop and publish a methodology for assessing and prioritizing corruption risks at the agency level, along with protocols for conducting risk assessments, reporting and reviewing the results of the analysis, and defining the plan to reduce corruption risks in the identified agencies.
The methodology should set out the evaluation criteria, making use of relevant information held by agencies and ministries across the government, including the NAB, Auditor General, Competition Commission, FBR and FIA. It should consider: (i) the value of money at risk due to corruption vulnerabilities related to the agency’s functions and budget; (ii) typologies of corruption in the evaluated organization; (iii) the existence of structural weaknesses that generate vulnerabilities to corruption; and (iv) information on the frequency of corruption, including past and ongoing corruption cases.
The government has informed the IMF that it has established three committees to monitor progress under the recently published Economic Governance Reform (EGR) plan, which implements the GCD report’s priority recommendations. Progress reports will be prepared every six months to track implementation and published on the Ministry of Finance website.
The government will organize a policy dialogue in April 2026 to discuss issues of institutional and structural implementation, design of performance indicators, common challenges and cross-cutting issues, public monitoring, reporting and capacity development. The government will invite development partners, civil society organizations and other stakeholders to participate in this process.
Based on these discussions and in close consultation with key stakeholders, the government will develop and publish results-based updates on progress in its semi-annual report. These updates will serve as a backdrop for a second political dialogue in July 2026, which will take stock of the semi-annual implementation of the EGR plan.
The government will continue to enhance the capabilities of the Provincial Anti-Corruption Establishments (PACE) to conduct financial investigations related to corruption at the provincial level. In accordance with the AML Law and the National Fiscal Compact, the relevant federal notification process initiated by the Financial Monitoring Unit (UMF) will be issued by the end of December 2026, designating the PACE to investigate money laundering related to corruption crimes within its jurisdiction, and to request and receive financial intelligence from the FMU as an investigative agency.
