The government has decided to make asset declarations of civil servants publicly available in redacted form under an IMF-linked transparency measure, while seeking to protect personal privacy.
The announcement was made by Establishment Division Secretary Nabeel Awan during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue on Thursday. The meeting, chaired by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, also focused on two troubling cases involving missing items from Pakistan Customs custody, including more than 400 kilograms of silver and a portion of 2,000 seized bags of skimmed milk.
Briefing the committee, Awan said the government had revised the Civil Servants Conduct Rules and was working to digitize the asset declaration process through the Federal Board of Revenue’s platform. The move is intended to streamline the filing system and improve public access to information without disclosing sensitive personal details.
Mandviwalla welcomed the development and directed that the revised rules be shared with the committee for further review and possible amendments. He also suggested examining changes to the Election Act related to the submission of parliamentarians’ asset declarations to the Election Commission of Pakistan.
The committee also took up the issue of alleged irregularities in the seizure and auction of 2,000 bags of skimmed milk confiscated by Customs Enforcement Karachi. Members were told that while 2,000 bags were reportedly seized, only 1,750 were included in the FIR, leaving 250 bags unaccounted for.
The panel directed the FBR to carry out a comprehensive investigation and submit a report within one week.
Another matter discussed was the disappearance of over 400 kilograms of silver during transportation after it had been confiscated by Customs authorities. Customs officials told the committee that preliminary findings suggested the case may have involved insiders. They added that the Federal Investigation Agency had already initiated an inquiry.
The silver case has also been referred to the interior sub-committee for further examination.
Alongside these issues, the committee discussed Super Tax and its broader impact on economic activity and business confidence.
