Page 27 - CMA Journal (May-Jun 2026)

F oc us S ec t ion

Table 1. From Disclosure to Dialogue Public Voice and Formal Accountability Federal and provincial governments provide detailed emphasizes the provision of adequate and reliable There also needs to be a structured, documented, an
budget documents annually, while the Ministry of
scal information as an important aspect of good
answered pre-budget consultation and post-budget
be
There are two general ways of citizen participation:
Element Disclosure approach Dialogue approach Financial governance public scrutiny and institutional review. The rst is Finance has instituted some forms of participation, public nancial management (PEFA Secretariat, 2016). consultation. Public bodies, professional institutio
such as pre-budget deliberations and an online civil society, and sector experts should be allowed
Budget Technical documents A citizen's Budget in Information that the public direct participation with active involvement in consultation (International Budget Partnership, Management accountants can help connect public express their views before nal allocations are made
que
expenditure to outcomes for citizens. They can also be
documents on o cial websites understandable language that can read is the prerequisite decision making, the second indirect through 2024b). However, it's not just a question of whether the brief response note should be submitted, including a
translates technical and complex for any informed analysis. intermediaries and elected o cials. Civil society information exists. A powerful framework for healthy strategic partners in transforming nancial list of the accepted proposals, the rejected proposa
data into an accessible guide for experts review budgets, the media disseminates the public discourse and public debate is that information management from a compliance exercise to a tool for and the rationale for each decision. This would impr
Every June, Pakistan's federal Budget is presented lead to public the general public results to the public and citizens raise questions about should be timely, understandable and serve public trust, transparency and legitimacy. Service the quality and value of consultation, consistent wi
before the National Assembly, comprising of understanding or services provided. It is then transferred to Parliament, democratic utility. This discrepancy is readily evident in costing shifts the focus from departmental budgets to international principles of participation (Global
comprising thousands of pages of estimates, grant accountability for their Budget Priorities aligned with Structured pre-budget Early input will increase the Auditor General and the Public Accounts Committee to the 2023 Open Budget Survey. Pakistan's budget the actual cost of the service provided to citizens. Initiative for Fiscal Transparency, 2012; OECD, 2015
citizens' needs and
consultations enable citizens,
requests, and annexes. It is deliberated, enacted, and repercussions (International formulation aspirations. professional bodies, civil society, legitimacy of the budget question, examine and follow-up public spending. transparency score was 30 out of 100, which is Performance reporting ties nancial inputs to
decisions.
documented within weeks. The documents are public, Budget Partnership, and sector experts to contribute Institutional channels need to be used to respond to signi cantly lower than the global average of 45 and non- nancial performance measures. Citizen-friendly Budget documents should articulate the services and
results expected from the major allocations. Citizen
summaries help to make complex budget numbers
the process adheres to constitutional principles, and 2024b). priorities before budget public pressure and formal review will not happen signi cantly lower than the 61 required for an more understandable and accessible. Audit readiness should be able to comprehend the technical jargon

the amounts involved are trillions of rupees. The The subsequent step in allocations are nalized. without public attention. The network directly informed public discussion. It received a score of 15 and control enhancements are proactive rather than and how the State is spending on Public Services &
challenge facing Pakistan's Budget is not one of Pakistan's budget translates civic engagement into relevant institutional out of 100 for its public participation. The same reactive in ensuring that institutional nancial records Administration, Social Sector & Human Development.
con dentiality, what often lacks is a public dialogue transparency should not Budget Financial information is During the year, reports and Up to date budget accountability by uncovering data, disseminating evaluation revealed that the audit review received a and systems are prepared for review. Improved •
ndings, and imposing legal or administrative checks.
regarding the implications of those gures: which involve increasing implementation provided in aggregated dashboards link spending to implementation information The connection between the budget cycle, score of 61, while the legislative review received a follow-up establishes a process to verify which issues Design public expenditure dashboards by using I
educational institutions, healthcare facilities, disclosure, but rather the form, after a speci c projects and programs. allows problems to be institutional review, and citizen feedback is illustrated score of 28 (International Budget Partnership, 2024a, have been resolved, which remain unresolved, and existing public nance management systems. Periodic
d
infrastructure projects, and the associated costs for encouragement of considerable time lag. detected when solutions are in Figures 1 and 2. 2024b). To establish an open, transparent, and how future nancial management complications can data on the performance of sectors, regions and u
various stakeholders. still possible. accountable framework, the authorities need to shift be prevented. This trend indicates a signi cant change projects can be used by journalists, researchers,
dialogue. The transparency Where Pakistan Stands from the usual reactive disclosures to proactive legislators and citizens to track spending levels. A
Public Money Is Held in Trust of the Budget is Audit and follow Audits are performed Audit ndings are reported, along Accountability lies not with publication of policies and procedures. The open toward formalizing public-private, civic, or corporate follow-up should be made public. In addition
and recorded.
with an update on any follow-
the audit itself but with the
conditional through Pakistan has an operational budget process, an budget survey score was improved in the earlier strategic connection. In the context of the federal detailed audit report, the Auditor General and the
Public funds are generated through national resources, upon the citizens, civil society, the media, Parliament, through from the report. action taken as a result. independent audit institution, Public Accounts assessment, followed by a fall. The reason was due to budget (2026–27), the Institute of Cost and Public Accounts Committees may also produce a h
taxation, tari s, and borrowing, which rely on the the Auditor General, the Public Accounts Committees, Public role The public as an Stakeholders ask questions and This process of questioning Committees, and an increasing amount of published delays in publication of key documents, during the Management Accountants of Pakistan(ICMA) summary of the key ndings, the amounts involved,

anticipated earnings of future taxpayers. The core and public nance professional’s ability to understand, audience for o cial receive answers satis es the requirement of scal information. review period, like the citizens budget and some presented a comprehensive set of revenue and reform the actions taken and the outstanding issues. This w
principle of public nance and democratic challenge, follow, and observe the execution of the announcements maintaining pressure on the In-year reports. It directly lowers the transparency recommendations to the Tax Policy O ce of the make it easier for citizens to have access to audit
accountability is that governments act as trustees Budget, as well as the repercussions of the Auditor reporting process. score. Some of the published documents were less Ministry of Finance, regarding revenue mobilisation, not just les and committee rooms. •
rather than owners of that wealth, which belongs to General's ndings. comprehensive than in the earlier round, and not formalisation of the digital economy to climate and c

the public. In recent years, a noticeable decline in Source: Author’s analysis based on GIFT (2012), IMF (2018), and OECD (2015). complied with the OBS methodology (such as detailed green taxation. These submissions demonstrate how Media, civil society, local representatives, an
h
public trust in state institutions has become Disclosure Is Not Dialogue performance or nancial data). professional bodies can provide analytical depth to nance professionals need to be strengthened in thei
increasingly in Pakistan. In scal year 2024-25, debt Governments that uses "surface-layer" or There needs to be a balance of technocratic expertise budget discussions and expand the range of voices capacities. Budget information will only be bene cia
servicing absorbed approximately 70% of tax revenue, Transparency is a transformation from a "document "pseudo-transparency” as a cover to produce “open” and democratic accountability. There are often The public value of an e ective audit function is informing scal decision-making. Their importance is a su cient percentage of individuals are able
41% of current expenditure, and public debt dump" to actionable accessibility. The IMF's Fiscal frameworks that conceal real decision-making allocations without user-centered outcomes, fail to undermined when legislative review, follow-up and in the existence of the recognised channel for the input comprehend, inquire, and explain it. The scope of

R

amounted to 70.8% of GDP (State Bank of Pakistan, Transparency Handbook, which expands on the IMF's processes. It is paradoxical that too many, confusing translate into tangible bene ts for the actual public public communication are inadequate. The audit of the professional and the citizens in the budget informed scrutiny can be expanded through training i
2025). Reform of public nancial management, Fiscal Transparency Code, considers the quality, regulations are imposed on stakeholders, while service users. More citizens' involvement can help results focus on surface level symptoms and it fails to process, even if ultimately the allocations are still budget documents, audit reports, and public •
budgeting, and governance is a key element of the timeliness and credibility of scal information to be important state activities take place behind the facade establish trust and direct accountability in that citizens address the underlying systemic failures. Jabbar and dictated by the priorities of the executive. expenditure data. Training will result in transpare
country's Fund Facility arrangement with the integral parts of scal transparency, in addition to the of democracy. The government uses compliance, to are more likely to be heard and to accept di cult scal Butt (2026) highlight that budget documents are often A Practical Way Forward numbers, actionable insights for public accountabili
h
International Monetary Fund (IMF), which was availability of scal information (International release information to placate international lenders or choices. World Bank service delivery research shows complex and challenging to understand, inconsistent by demystifying the allocation, execution, and revie
approved in September 2024 for a 37 month duration Monetary Fund, 2018). According to OECD (2015), the international bodies such as the Open Government that accountability is undermined through presentation and ine ective in conveying information To implement the budget process from rhetoric to of public funds. m
(International Monetary Fund, 2024). The general guideline on Budgetary Governance, the governments Partnership but doesn't make it accessible to the stakeholder’s lack of information, and through their about priorities, revenue and expenditure disclosures. practice, it is important to adopt strict standards, Citizen involvement needs to be brought closer to th
sentiment is similar: Pakistan improved to 28 in score should strive to make budgetary debates inclusive, public. Table 1 displays the two approaches involved in interactions with politicians and service providers. They emphasize the importance of citizens’ aggressive structural reforms to extract the point of citizens' experience of the state. Equating
on the Corruption Perceptions Index released in participatory and pragmatic, making it possible to budget making process and its impac on governance. Making the process open can lead to recognition of participation in the budget design, approval and documented data. district and municipal budget discussion with school

February 2026, though its rank slipped to 136 out of understand and participate in budgetary choices for overly optimistic nancial targets, expectations, and execution, and not limited to the post-decisional It requires action that can be incorporated into the health facilities, roads, water, and sanitation can
182 countries (Transparency International, 2026). The parliaments and citizens. Global Initiative for Fiscal Why Citizen Participation Strengthens resource distribution within the budget process that phase. budget calendar, delegated to the institutions the Budget less abstract and more accountable. •
bene ts of public expenditure are frequently Transparency embodies the concept of citizens' Financial Governance no longer meet citizens' needs. Professional Contribution to Budget responsible, and monitored over time. However, it is not to create budget experts among th
inconsistent, despite the fact that the citizens of entitlement to be involved in the process of designing Making budget decisions can't just occur in a vacuum. general population, but to make public money h
f
Pakistan are burdened by the country's intricate and and implementing scal policy (Global Initiative for They should represent the experiences and realities of The engagement of the public in the accountability of Accountability There should be a citizens' Budget in Urdu and English accessible enough that people can pose reasonable
regressive tax system. Citizens are entitled to a more the public and should be acceptable to taxpayers. budgets is one of the least developed aspects Participatory budgeting needs neutral, transparent, published on time every year in Pakistan as a credible questions.
de nitive input in the allocation and utilization of Fiscal Transparency, 2012). This distinction is important Citizen participation in budgeting refers to citizens worldwide. The open budget survey of 2023 assessed accessible nancial information that is relevant to budget. It should tell the reader where public funds The reforms need regularity, discipline, and a
public funds, as tax revenue remains below the 15% of because disclosure (sharing) and conversation having formalised and meaningful opportunities for 125 countries with an average score of 15 out of 100 in service delivery. The public o cials, legislators, media come from, where they are spent, and what commitment to see public knowledge as a component
GDP threshold required to enhance scal capacity. (accessibility) results in di erent questions. The gap is participation in and deliberation on budgeting public participation criteria. Nevertheless, in countries and independent regulatory bodies needs follow up compromises have been made. The lack of a citizens' of nancial governance. However, if Pakistan can
Pakistan's budget process is challenged by a between accountability and the procedural processes: like consultation before the nalization of that prioritize participation, budget information is not framework and cost performance to evaluate the value Budget based on international standards has also led transition from merely announcing to explaining,
transparency paradox: budget documents are documentation due to jargons used, lack of time to the document, monitoring during the process of only disclosed, but also subject to public scrutiny and creation in term of societal, economic, and to a decline in transparency measurement in Pakistan discussing, and acting upon the issues raised in
produced and circulated, yet they do not consistently focus on them and not being part of public services. executing the budget and post audit feedback option. accountability. non-economic bene ts. The PEFA framework also recently (International Budget Partnership, 2024a). Budget, the Budget can transcend from a mere

ICMA’s Chartered Management Accountant, May-Jun 2026 25