The government has decided to publicly release asset declarations of civil servants in a redacted form under IMF requirements, aiming to improve transparency while protecting personal privacy.
The announcement was made by Establishment Division Secretary Nabeel Awan during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue.
During the briefing, officials informed lawmakers that the Civil Servants Conduct Rules had been revised and the asset declaration process was being digitized through the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) platform.
Senator Saleem Mandviwalla welcomed the initiative and directed officials to provide the revised rules to the committee for further review and possible amendments. He also suggested changes to the Election Act to require parliamentarians to submit their asset declarations to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The committee also ordered investigations into two separate incidents involving missing goods from Pakistan Customs custody, including more than 400 kilograms of silver and missing bags from a seized shipment of skimmed milk.
According to customs officials, while 2,000 bags of skimmed milk were reportedly confiscated, only 1,750 bags were listed in the FIR, leaving 250 bags unaccounted for. The committee instructed the FBR to conduct a complete inquiry and submit a report within one week.
Lawmakers additionally reviewed the case of missing silver that allegedly disappeared during transportation after being seized by customs authorities. Officials informed the committee that preliminary findings suggested possible internal involvement, while the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had already launched an investigation.
The silver case has also been referred to the interior sub-committee for further examination.
Besides these issues, the committee discussed the impact of Super Tax on business confidence and economic activity in the country.
