ISLAMABAD: Former federal finance minister Shaukat Tarin on Thursday shared that the IMF has asked the government to strengthen the anti-graft institutions, especially the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Speaking to a private TV news channel, the former finance minister said that under the IMF agreement, a committee would be formed that would oversee changes in NAB laws and their implementation.

A statement issued by the IMF for the release of $1.17 billion to Pakistan stated: “To improve governance and mitigate corruption, the authorities are establishing a robust electronic asset declaration system and plan to undertake a comprehensive review of the anticorruption institutions (including the National Accountability Bureau) to enhance their effectiveness in investigating and prosecuting corruption cases.”

IMF being lenient with current government: Shaukat Tarin

Shaukat Tarin said that the incumbent government was not able to either swallow the bitter pills from the Fund or it could get rid of them.

He lamented low tax collection from the incumbent government and said that it should be upto Rs8 trillion in order to distribute the additional income among the underprivileged segments of the society through targeted subsidies.