National strategies against corruption

History of accountability laws

• Public and Representative Offices (Disqualification) Act (PRODA), 1949.
• Elective Bodies (Disqualification) Order (EBDO), 1959, under Ayub Khan.
• Ehtesab Ordinance (1996) and Ehtesab Act (1997), creating the Ehtesab Bureau.
• National Accountability Ordinance (1999), creating NAB under Pervez Musharraf.
• Amendments to the NAB law in 2022 limited its jurisdiction; after litigation, the Supreme Court upheld the amendments in 2024.

Anti-corruption institutions

• National Accountability Bureau (NAB): investigates and prosecutes corruption, also through awareness and prevention.
• Federal Investigation Agency (FIA): corruption by federal employees, financial crime and money laundering.
• Provincial anti-corruption establishments.
• Auditor-General of Pakistan and the Public Accounts Committees.
• Federal and provincial ombudsmen.
• Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA, 2002).
• Financial Monitoring Unit for suspicious transactions.

National Anti-Corruption Strategy (2002)

• Prepared by NAB after a national consultation.
• Combined prevention, awareness and enforcement.
• Recommended reforms of the civil service, police, judiciary, procurement and political finance.
• Many recommendations were only partly implemented.

International commitments

• Pakistan ratified the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2007.
• The FATF process (2018–2022) strengthened laws against money laundering and terrorist financing.
• IMF programmes include governance and anti-corruption commitments, such as asset declarations of senior officials.

Problems

• Accountability seen as selective and used against political opponents.
• Slow trials and low conviction rates.
• Fear of NAB causing officials to avoid decisions ('NAB-phobia').
• Weak coordination among multiple agencies.
• Plea bargains seen as allowing the corrupt to keep part of their gains.

Remedial measures

• Independent, depoliticized and professional anti-corruption agencies.
• Prevention through simplification and digitization: e-procurement, e-filing, online land records and digital payments.
• Asset declarations with verification.
• Right to information and whistle-blower protection.
• Judicial reform for speedy trials.
• Political finance transparency.
• Ethics education and civil service reform with adequate pay.

Conclusion

Fighting corruption needs more than punishment. Prevention, transparency, institutional independence and political will, sustained over time, are the keys to success.