Islamabad – Pakistan is experiencing a paradigm shift in its state management, transitioning to a model of transparent governance based on digitization and institutional reform.
Though the historical view of corruption in the country has always affected the international position of the nation, recent statistics and organizational shifts may indicate a sharp shift in the realities in the realm of governance.
Survey Data Indicates Shifting Public Experience
The National Corruption Perception Survey (NCPS) 2025 has shed light on the relationship between the citizens and the state.
The report indicates that 66 percent of respondents in the country said that they had not experienced an incident where a bribe was necessary to gain access to public services within the last 1 year.
Also, the survey reported a 6% increase in the way people view police services than in 2023.
Analysts indicate that such numbers are signs of the shift to standardized processes and less discretion that could be exercised personally by low-level officials in the past. This shift to open government is becoming more apparent in daily dealings between citizens and state departments.
Digital Transformation of Revenue and Procurement
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has become one of the main pillars of the digital transformation in the country.
By incorporating the real-time Point-of-Sale (POS) systems and automated tax filing, the bureau has registered about Rs 847 billion in revenue that was not recorded before. The system reduces the involvement of human beings, which is essential in transparent governance, by applying digital algorithms to conduct an audit based on risks.
The same has been done with public procurement. The uptake of e-procurement systems has shifted the tender practice into an open digital platform.
This change makes sure that the awarding of contracts and bidding processes is open to review, and informal negotiations, which dominated government expenditure, are eliminated.
Accountability and Global Compliance
Institutional enforcement is also at record levels. According to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), total recoveries were over 12.3 trillion.
It is worth noting that among this figure of Rs 11.4 trillion, 33 months ago saw a recovery of 11.4 trillion, implying an activity-intensified period.
NAB has paid back Rs 643 to the national exchequer against every rupee that it has expended on its budget, which positions accountability as the economically viable aspect of transparent governance.
On the global scene, the removal of Pakistan from the FATF GreyList was an endorsement of the structural financial reforms undertaken by Pakistan.
The state was able to show effort in aligning its financial infrastructure to the global transparency standards through improvements in monitoring systems and reporting of suspicious transactions.
Biometric Identity and Social Welfare
These reforms are still supported by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), which maintains a safe digital identity database of more than 230 million citizens. This infrastructure enables the transparent implementation of services, with the most significant being the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP).
Through biometric checks on direct digital transfer, the program guarantees that the welfare money is delivered to the certified beneficiaries without the interference of intermediaries.
The incorporation of this biometric system into the telecommunications industry has also required that every SIM card be linked to an authenticated identity, hence enhancing national security.
With these digital and institutional structures becoming more entrenched, the shift towards transparent governance is shifting from a policy goal to a written structural fact throughout Pakistan.
