Overview
- Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau observed International Anti-Corruption Day on December 8, a day before the UN’s December 9 date, in a move framed as signalling urgency.
- The UN’s 2025 theme centers youth, with analysts noting nearly 64% of Pakistanis are under 30 and arguing corruption disproportionately limits education, jobs and civic participation.
- The government has introduced the Whistleblower Protection and Vigilance Commission Bill 2025 to create a national body, though protections remain uncertain pending enactment and implementation.
- Existing safeguards are viewed as inadequate, with the federal Public Interest Disclosure Act of 2017 offering limited enforcement and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 2016 law not fully operational.
- Experts call for AI, blockchain and data analytics in oversight, stronger private‑sector compliance across a workforce that is mostly non‑government, and youth roles in advisory councils and innovation labs.