ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to make only selected information about senior civil servants’ assets publicly available, citing security concerns over the release of complete declarations. The move is intended to fulfil transparency commitments under Pakistan’s programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Finance Secretary Imdadullah Bosal informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue on Thursday that the government would publish limited asset information by December this year rather than disclose the complete financial records of public officials.
The new arrangement will apply to federal civil servants in Basic Pay Scale (BS) 17 and above.
Lawmakers Question Different Disclosure Rules for Civil Servants
During the committee meeting, parliamentarians questioned why civil servants would be exempted from full public disclosure when elected representatives, including the president and prime minister, were required to declare their assets.
Members raised concerns over the difference in transparency requirements for politicians and government officials.
The finance secretary did not directly address the objection but said the Establishment Division and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had undertaken extensive technical work to develop the new disclosure mechanism.
Under the proposed arrangement, the FBR will examine asset declarations and forward its findings to the Establishment Division. The latter will have the authority to initiate disciplinary proceedings if discrepancies are identified.
Bosal maintained that civil servants would continue to declare their assets under the prescribed rules, although their complete declarations would not be released publicly.
Government Introduces Digital Asset Declaration System
The government has already initiated the digitisation of income and asset declarations for all federal civil servants in BS-17 and above.
The new system replaces the existing manual submission process with a dedicated online portal managed by the FBR.
Declarations submitted through the portal will undergo risk-based verification, while selected information considered non-sensitive will be made available to the public.
Following the committee meeting, the Ministry of Finance uploaded an office memorandum issued by the Establishment Division concerning the digitisation of asset declarations under Section 15-A of the Civil Servants Act, 1973.
The memorandum states that the Establishment Division, working with the FBR, has introduced a digital mechanism for submitting, verifying and publishing income and asset declarations.
The system operates under Section 15-A of the Civil Servants Act, 1973, and Rule 12 of the Civil Servants (Conduct) Rules, 2026.
October 30 Deadline Set for Online Declarations
All federal officers serving in BS-17 and above must submit their income and asset declarations for the financial year 2025-26 through the designated FBR portal.
The deadline for completing the digital filing process is October 30, 2026, in accordance with Rule 12(6) of the Civil Servants (Conduct) Rules, 2026.
Officers will no longer be required to use the previous manual submission procedure for these declarations.
How the New Online Filing Process Will Work
Under the new procedure, officers must initially provide their personal and official information to their respective cadre administrators.
The required details include their name, designation, active personal email address, mobile phone number and Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) number.
The cadre administrator will forward this information to the FBR for the creation of an account on the online portal.
Once the account has been established, the officer will receive a notification through email, text message or another prescribed communication method.
Officers will then activate their accounts using their CNIC and a one-time password before setting a personal password.
After logging in, they will be able to access the “Declaration” section on the portal dashboard and enter the required financial information.
The information to be submitted is detailed in Annex-I of the Establishment Division’s memorandum.
FBR to Verify Declarations, Establishment Division to Handle Discrepancies
Once officers submit their declarations, the FBR will conduct risk-based verification to identify potential irregularities.
The results will be communicated to the relevant cadre administrators.
Where discrepancies are detected, the Establishment Division will have the authority to initiate disciplinary action under the applicable rules.
The government maintains that the arrangement will allow financial information to be examined while limiting the public release of details considered sensitive.
According to the Establishment Division, selected non-sensitive portions of the declarations will be published on the FBR website for public information.
Officers Allowed to Correct Errors Until November 30
Civil servants must complete their declarations within the October 30 deadline.
However, officers who need to correct mistakes in their submitted information will be allowed to make changes until November 30, 2026.
Such corrections will require approval or authorisation from the relevant cadre administrator.
The government plans to make the selected asset information publicly available by December, establishing a disclosure system that combines digital filing, official verification and limited public access to senior civil servants’ financial declarations.
