The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked for strengthening Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and tightening anti-money laundering (AML) controls under its draft Governance and Corruption Diagnostic (GCD) Assessment.
However, Islamabad plans to formally challenge parts of the report, arguing that several findings misrepresent the country’s progress.
Pakistan has pledged to improve its institutional framework against corruption to foster investment and inclusive growth. The IMF’s final GCD Assessment, due in October 2025, will outline priority structural reforms and an action plan.
In line with the recommendations, the government has begun reforms to enhance NAB’s independence and efficiency, particularly in high-value cases above PKR 500 million, while improving coordination with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Planned reforms also include mandatory digital asset declarations for senior officials (BPS 17-22), which will be centralized and made publicly accessible with data protections. The Establishment Division and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) are jointly digitizing this process.
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Additionally, the government has introduced a “Banks’ Access to Asset Declarations” initiative to strengthen AML/CFT compliance, allowing banks to verify asset information of senior public servants. Provincial governments, in collaboration with the FBR, will implement similar transparency rules.
