Pakistan's Budget Transparency Struggles: A Call for Reform

Pakistan is currently facing significant challenges in ensuring transparency and accountability in its budget processes. The country has been struggling with low open budget scores and poor rankings, indicating a lack of clarity and oversight in how public funds are managed and allocated.

One of the major issues contributing to this problem is the long-standing loophole in the constitution related to Article 84. This article governs supplementary and excess grants, but its ambiguous language has created opportunities for misuse and lack of proper scrutiny in budget allocations.

Furthermore, Pakistan's budget oversight framework is notably deficient due to the absence of an independent parliamentary budget office (PBO). Without a dedicated body to provide impartial analysis and evaluation of budget proposals, there is a significant gap in ensuring that public funds are used efficiently and effectively.

Pakistan's budget transparency and accountability issues are rooted in structural deficiencies such as the loophole in Article 84 and the absence of a parliamentary budget office. Addressing these challenges is crucial to improving governance and ensuring that public resources are managed responsibly for the benefit of all citizens.