The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has expanded the category of government officials required to publicly disclose their assets, introducing a broader transparency regime that now applies across federal, provincial and state-owned entities, Dawn reported.
The decision, notified on Thursday through SRO 2263, amends the Sharing of Declaration of Assets of Civil Servants Rules, 2023 and is understood to align with commitments made under Pakistan’s programme with the International Monetary Fund.
Under the revised framework, asset declarations of all covered officials will be accessible to the public, allowing citizens to review a complete record of an officer’s holdings from the time they enter government service.
The notification significantly expands the definition of “public servant.” The category now includes officers in BPS-17 and above working in federal and provincial governments, employees of autonomous bodies, personnel of state-owned corporations and individuals serving in government-linked firms.
The only exemption applies to officials protected under provisions of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.
Previously, the disclosure requirement applied only to a limited group of employees governed by the Civil Servants Act, 1973, leaving large portions of the public sector outside the reporting framework.
Officials said that by bringing multiple tiers of government and SOEs under a single disclosure structure, the new rules aim to establish a consistent and uniform accountability standard across the public sector.
