Government gives bureaucracy one-week deadline to declare foreign nationality

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has issued a final one-week deadline to senior civil servants who have yet to submit mandatory declarations regarding foreign nationality, permanent residency, Green Cards and other foreign travel documents.

The latest action comes after Minute Mirror reported on September 2, 2026, that 16 officers of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) were holding foreign citizenship, Green Cards or permanent residency in foreign countries.

According to Office Memorandum No. 3/2/2025-D-IV (PROFORMAS FOREIGN NATIONALITY)-0001, dated October 2, 2026, the Establishment Division said a number of officers belonging to the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), Police Service of Pakistan (PSP), Secretariat Group (SG) and Office Management Group (OMG) had still not submitted the required declarations despite two earlier reminders issued on June 4 and July 17.

The memorandum, issued by M. Khurram Shahzad, Section Officer (D-IV), Establishment Division, directed the concerned officers to furnish the declarations within one week. Those failing to comply could face proceedings under the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020.

The requirement stems from Rule 3(3) of the Civil Servants (Disclosure and Prohibition of Foreign and Dual Nationality) Rules, 2026, notified on June 1. Under the rules, civil servants were required to declare their own and their dependents’ foreign nationality, possession of foreign travel documents, Green Cards or permanent residency, as well as marriage to a foreign national.

The 90-day period for submitting the declarations expired on September 1, 2026.

Under Rule 3(4), failure to submit the declaration or providing false information constitutes misconduct under the applicable E&D Rules. The rules also provide for serious consequences where an appointment is found to have been made contrary to the prescribed requirements.

The Establishment Division has circulated the memorandum to federal ministries and divisions, chief secretaries and relevant authorities, signalling a broader effort to ensure compliance across the bureaucracy.

The development also puts renewed focus on the FBR cases highlighted by Minute Mirror. According to documents cited in the September 2 report, 16 FBR officers were identified as holding foreign citizenship, Green Cards or permanent residency. Of these, 10 belonged to the Inland Revenue Service and six to the Pakistan Customs Service. Ten officers were in Grade 20 while five were in Grade 19.

The FBR had earlier set July 8, 2026, as the deadline for officers to provide the required information and had warned that failure to submit accurate declarations could amount to misconduct.

The issue is significant because senior officers in taxation, customs, revenue collection and other sensitive areas are involved in key administrative and financial decisions.

The latest Establishment Division directive indicates that the government is now seeking compliance beyond individual departments and intends to maintain a central record of foreign nationality and residency declarations.

The broader question is how many other civil servants across federal and provincial institutions may still be required to disclose foreign citizenship, permanent residency or foreign travel documents.

With the one-week deadline now in force, the government faces the task of ensuring that the disclosure process is implemented consistently and transparently across the bureaucracy. Transparency and equal enforcement of the rules will be crucial in determining the credibility of the exercise.