Finance Secretary Imdad Ullah Bosal shared the development before National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, amid questions from lawmakers over why civil servants should not face the same level of public disclosure expected from political officeholders.
Under the government’s new arrangement, selected non-sensitive portions of bureaucrats’ declarations will be published by December 2026 in line with IMF-related transparency commitment, while confidential personal information will remain restricted. IMF’s latest programme documents identify publication of high-level federal civil servants’ asset declarations by the end of December 2026 as a governance benchmark.
The decision triggered questions inside the parliamentary committee, with members pointing out that the president, prime minister and politicians are required to disclose their assets and asking why public servants should be treated differently.
Bosal did not directly address the comparison but told the committee that substantial technical work had been undertaken by the Establishment Division and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to establish the new mechanism. Under the system, bureaucrats will still be required to declare their income and assets in full to the government. The difference is that the entire declaration will not automatically enter the public domain.
FBR will examine the declarations through risk-based verification checks and send its findings to the relevant cadre administrator. If discrepancies or irregularities are identified, the Establishment Division will have the authority to initiate disciplinary action against the concerned official. Officials are also responsible for ensuring that the information submitted through the system is accurate and complete.
The government has simultaneously moved to replace the traditional manual system with a dedicated FBR online portal for federal civil servants in BS-17 and above. The digital mechanism has been introduced jointly by the Establishment Division and FBR under Section 15-A of the Civil Servants Act, 1973, and Rule 12 of the Civil Servants (Conduct) Rules, 2026.
All officers covered by the system must submit their income and asset declarations for financial year 2025-26 by October 30, 2026.
Officers will first provide their name, designation, personal active email address, mobile number and CNIC details to their respective cadre administrator. The administrator will forward the information to the FBR, which will create the officer’s account and notify them through email, SMS or another prescribed channel.
The officer will then activate the account using their CNIC and a one-time password, before setting a personal password. After logging in, the official will access the “Declaration” section of the portal and enter the required income and asset information.
The declarations will undergo risk-based checks by the FBR, with the results communicated to the relevant cadre administrator. However, the government has drawn a clear line between declaration and publication.
While officers must submit their required financial information to the authorities, only selected non-sensitive sections will be placed on the FBR website for public information. The complete declarations will not be publicly disclosed because of the government’s stated security concerns. The arrangement also allows officials to review information proposed for publication before final submission, according to details reported on the new mechanism.
Officials will be allowed to correct errors in their digital declarations until November 30, 2026. Any correction, however, will require approval or authorisation from the relevant cadre administrator.
The new system places asset declaration process of senior federal bureaucrats into a centralised digital framework, combining mandatory online filing, FBR verification and limited public disclosure while keeping specified sensitive information confidential.
Pakistan moves to regulate digital assets as adoption surges
