Government limits disclosure of bureaucrats' assets

ISLAMABAD: The government will not fully disclose the assets of civil servants to the public because of security concerns, and will instead release only selected information by December this year, Finance Secretary Imdadullah Bosal told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue on Thursday.

The announcement, reported by Dawn and Pakistan Today, drew immediate questioning from parliamentarians, who asked why bureaucrats should not be held to the same standard of public disclosure as elected representatives.

According to Dawn, Bosal said selected asset information of officers in BS-17 and above would be made public by December to meet requirements of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The government has decided against publishing complete asset declarations, arguing that full disclosure could put serving officers at risk. Pakistan Today carried the same announcement, saying civil servants' assets would be partly public by December.

Members of the committee challenged the government's position during the briefing, Dawn reported. They pointed out that politicians are required to disclose their assets publicly, and questioned the basis for a different rule for bureaucrats. The finance secretary spoke before the National Assembly committee that oversees finance and revenue, and the decision affects civil servants at the federal level.

The finance secretary's remarks came as the government works to meet conditions attached to its engagement with the IMF. The partial disclosure plan means that by the end of the year, the public will be able to access only selected asset details of senior civil servants, not their complete declarations. No further details were immediately available on which parts of the asset declarations would be withheld or released, or how many officers would be covered by the partial disclosure. The government did not immediately provide a written statement or list of which asset categories would be considered too sensitive to publish. Pakistan Today's report carried similar information but provided no additional details.