IMF Pushes Pakistan to Strengthen NAB Autonomy and Anti-Corruption Reforms

ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund has asked Pakistan to strengthen the independence and transparency of the National Accountability Bureau under its anti-corruption reform agenda.

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According to the IMF’s latest staff report, Pakistan must table amendments to the NAB Ordinance in parliament by January 2027. As a result, the proposed changes will improve the appointment process for the NAB chairman.

IMF Seeks Greater Transparency

In addition, the IMF directed authorities to publish NAB investigation and prosecution rules.

Officials must also release annual enforcement statistics. Furthermore, the government must agree with the IMF on a corruption risk assessment methodology before introducing the amendments.

The methodology will support a NAB-led anti-corruption strategy. Meanwhile, authorities will identify and publish corruption risks in the country’s top 10 high-risk government departments.

Government Expands Reform Measures

Recently, the government revised the Civil Servant Conduct Rules.

Consequently, senior federal civil servants will publish their asset declarations online by December 2026.

Last year, authorities also introduced the Prime Minister’s Economic Governance Reform Plan. The plan followed recommendations from the IMF’s governance and corruption diagnostic assessment.

Moreover, the reform agenda includes 15 actions, timelines and performance indicators.

Authorities to Publish Progress Reports

Meanwhile, officials will publish reform progress reports every six months on the Ministry of Finance website.

At present, the government is consulting stakeholders on the implementation framework.

NAB to Lead Corruption Risk Plan

Additionally, the Anti-Corruption and AML/CFT Committee assigned NAB the task of preparing a corruption mitigation plan.

The plan will target the 10 departments facing the highest corruption risks.

By June 2026, the committee will finalize and publish a methodology for assessing corruption risks. The framework will also define reporting procedures and corrective measures.

Provincial Bodies to Get More Powers

At the same time, the government committed to strengthening provincial anti-corruption institutions.

Authorities want these bodies to improve financial investigations at the provincial level.

Under the Anti-Money Laundering Act and National Fiscal Pact, the government will issue a federal notification by December 2026.

As a result, provincial institutions will gain authority to investigate money laundering cases.

New Asset Verification Framework Planned

To support public asset declarations, the Establishment Division will revise declaration forms by May 2026.

The changes will protect confidential personal information. In coordination with the Federal Board of Revenue, officials will also develop a risk-based asset verification framework by June 2027.

Overall, the reforms form part of Pakistan’s broader commitments under the IMF programme to improve governance and accountability.