The government of Pakistan has considered the declarations of assets mandatory for civil servants.
The government has introduced new Conduct Rules 2026 for civil servants, replacing regulations that had been in place for the past 62 years.
The new rules are much stricter and focus more on transparency, financial checks, and accountability.
Under the new rules, government officers in Grade 17 and above will have to publicly declare their assets every year after sensitive personal details are removed.
Previously, these asset details were kept confidential and only submitted within departments.
Senior officers will now have to submit digital records of their assets by October 30 each year.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) will review these declarations and can ask questions if there are unexplained increases in wealth or incorrect information.
For the first time, officers will also have to declare virtual assets such as cryptocurrencies, along with bank accounts, shares, insurance policies, and jewellery worth more than Rs5 million.
The new rules also introduce stricter conflict-of-interest regulations.
Officers must disclose any personal or family interests that could affect their official duties and must stay away from decisions where a conflict exists.
There are also new restrictions on social media use. Government officers cannot run websites, blogs, podcasts, YouTube channels, or similar platforms without permission.
They are also banned from using official work or government facilities for personal promotion online.
Authorities will also have the power to ask officers for details of their social media accounts.
Rules regarding gifts and hospitality have also been tightened.
Officers and their families will not be allowed to accept gifts from individuals, companies, foreign governments, or diplomats unless permitted under the Toshakhana (Management and Regulation) Act 2024.
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The rules further state that officers should not maintain lifestyles beyond their declared income.
Expensive weddings or social events that do not match an officer’s income may lead to questions from authorities.
Another new condition applies to officers who work in the private sector during extraordinary leave.
They will need prior approval and, after returning to government service, will not be allowed to handle matters related to their former employers for three years.
Officers may still work in teaching, consultancy, or professional services as long as these activities do not affect official duties or create conflicts of interest.
Part of the income earned from such work must be deposited into the national treasury.
The new rules also require officers to immediately report any criminal case or arrest, avoid filing false complaints, and not directly contact foreign missions or donor agencies for personal benefits such as foreign visits or training opportunities.
The federal government can also apply these rules to autonomous bodies, regulatory authorities, universities, and state-owned institutions.
Any violation of the new rules will be treated as misconduct under the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules 2020 and could result in disciplinary action.
Officials say the new rules are the biggest reform in Pakistan’s civil service ethics system in more than 60 years.
A meeting in the Senate was also held on Thursday in this regard by the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, chaired by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla.
He said, “Declarations would be publicly accessible in a redacted form to ensure transparency while safeguarding personal privacy,” adding that the objectives of asset declarations and income tax returns were distinct in nature and governed under separate legal frameworks.
The new rule to declare assets by the civil servant was made compulsory after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) demanded that Pakistan ensure both transparency and personal privacy.
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