IMF asks Pakistan to strengthen NAB autonomy, publish anti-corruption data

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked Pakistan to strengthen the autonomy and transparency of the National Accountability Bureau under a broader anti-corruption reform framework linked to the IMF programme.

According to the IMF’s latest staff report, Pakistan has committed to submitting amendments to the NAB Ordinance to Parliament by end-January 2027 to improve the appointment process for the NAB chairman.

The authorities will also publish NAB investigation and prosecution rules along with annual enforcement statistics.

The IMF said Pakistan must also agree on a methodology for corruption risk assessment as part of an anti-corruption action plan to be led by NAB. 

Under the reform programme, the government will identify and publish corruption vulnerabilities in the top 10 departments assessed as having the highest corruption risks.

The methodology for institutional risk assessments will be approved by the Anti-Corruption and Anti-Money Laundering/Counter-Financing Terrorism Committee, chaired by the law ministry.

The IMF said anti-corruption reforms had become a greater focus after publication of Pakistan’s Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment last year.

Pakistan earlier published the Prime Minister’s Economic Governance Reform Plan, which included 15 reform actions, performance indicators, implementation timelines and monitoring mechanisms.

According to the report, the government will publish progress reports every six months on the finance ministry website to track implementation of the reforms.

NAB has also been tasked with leading preparation of a corruption mitigation plan for the top 10 government departments identified with the highest corruption risks by end-October 2026.

The Anti-Corruption and AML/CFT Committee will develop and publish a methodology for agency-level corruption risk assessments by end-June 2026 in consultation with the IMF.

The government has further committed to strengthening provincial anti-corruption establishments to conduct financial investigations related to corruption cases.

Under the plan, the Financial Monitoring Unit will issue notifications by end-December 2026 authorising provincial bodies to investigate money laundering cases.