ISLAMABAD: The federal government has fulfilled another major condition of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) issued a fresh notification requiring Grade-17 and above officers to publicly declare their assets.
Using powers under Section 237(1) of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001, the FBR has introduced key amendments to the Sharing of Declaration of Assets of Civil Servants Rules 2023.
These amendments were initially published on October 7, 2025 through notification 1912(I)/2025, and have now been finalised after seeking public feedback, as required by law.
According to the latest FBR notification, several changes have been made — the most significant being the replacement of the word “civil” with “public” wherever it appears in the rules.
The same amendment has also been approved in Rule 1(1).
FBR has also added a new clause (ii-a) in Rule 2, defining a public servant as an officer of Grade-17 or above serving under the federal or provincial governments, autonomous bodies, state-owned corporations, or government-owned companies.
The definition also covers employees governed by the Civil Servants Act 1973, but excludes those exempted under Section 5(n)(iv) of the National Accountability Ordinance 1999.
According to the FBR, these amendments aim to make the asset-sharing system clearer, more effective and more transparent, allowing better exchange of information regarding the assets of government and semi-government officials.
Analysts say the move comes as Pakistan is trying to stay on the IMF’s good side and push ahead with governance reforms long considered overdue.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), as part of conditions under its loan program, has released the Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment Report for Pakistan, stating that corruption remains a serious challenge that continues to undermine economic activity and institutional performance.
