Govt to Force Civil Servants to Declare Assets On Critical IMF Demand

The federal government is set to amend the Civil Servants Act by the end of February to make asset declarations mandatory for BS-17 to 22 public officials to comply with a critical structural benchmark of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The amendment will require civil servants to file digital asset declarations with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for public access. These declarations will include assets beneficially owned by family members as well. Separately, the IMF’s technical mission on Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment held virtual discussions with the FBR on integrity management, recruitment, remuneration, and related issues. The mission is scheduled to visit Pakistan in April and publish its findings by July. The government has also committed to publishing a full review report on compliance with the UN Convention Against Corruption by September. Authorities are also working to ensure banks have access to asset declarations for anti-money laundering compliance. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is engaging with financial institutions to finalize procedures, while the FBR plans to launch a digital portal by September for the timely processing of requests. Pakistan must implement these measures as part of the IMF program to keep receiving money under the $7 billion loan program over three years.