IMF Wants NAB, FIA to be Truly Independent to Effectively Tackle Corruption

The International Monetary Fund has urged Pakistan to make the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and provincial anti-corruption establishments truly independent to effectively combat corruption. In its latest Governance and Corruption Report, the IMF recommends granting full autonomy to NAB and provincial anti-corruption bodies, alongside improving the appointment process for the NAB chairman to ensure credible and effective investigations into high-level corruption cases. The report also calls for enhancing NAB’s investigative capacity and reinforcing internal accountability mechanisms across all watchdog institutions. The IMF further advises establishing a central authority comprising the Federal Board of Revenue, Parliament, and the Establishment Division to collect, digitize, and publicly disclose the assets, powers, and resources of senior public officials to increase transparency across the government. IMF says Pakistan’s three anti-corruption agencies should adopt a coordinated, risk-based approach and strengthen information sharing with the Auditor General of Pakistan and the FBR to better detect suspicious transactions and investigate corruption cases.