NACS to review assets declaration mechanism today

ISLAMABAD: The Implementation Committee of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) is expected to review and approve a draft of the ‘assets declaration pro-forma’ and the mechanism to increase the wages and job security of civil servants, sources told Daily Times on Monday.

They said the meeting chaired by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman will implement the strategy after its approval. The changes will be supervised by the Steering Committee, consisting of senior state institution officials, civil society members, the media and private sector representatives.

The third meeting of the Implementation Committee was held on February 19 this year at NAB headquarters in Islamabad. It highlighted the lack of job protection for civil servants and the impact of the new pro-forma on their morale. The secretary of the interior ministry said at the meeting that civil servants should be given a complete package and their asset declarations should be monitored.

The NACS was formed to eliminate corruption in the public sector by acting against corrupt civil servants. The strategy was endorsed by Gen Pervez Musharraf.

A NAB official told Daily Times that a decision to review the assets pro-forma was made after a long debate and it was decided that the Central Bureau of Revenue chairman would look into the changes, if any, if the document is to be considered a tax return. He said an agreement was also reached that civil servants will not have to seek permission before purchasing properties because it caused inconvenience and sometimes forced honest employees not to disclose such assets.

The Implementation Committee meeting on Tuesday is also expected to examine and analyse the Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002 in combination with Rule 55 of the Rules of Business 1973, the instructions issued there under from time to time and Rule 18 of the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules 1964. In its third meeting, the Implementation Committee had recommended that the rules and instructions be examined and amended to allow public access to the information. The case was taken up with the Cabinet Division which had recommended amending Rule 18 of the Govt Servants (conduct) Rules 1964. —Hameedullah Abid

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