ISLAMABAD: A United States report has called for strengthening parliamentary oversight of Pakistan’s public finances, arguing that legislators and the public need earlier, fuller access to fiscal information.

The report says timely access to the proposed budget is important so that spending and revenue priorities can be publicly scrutinised before formal approval — rather than after the fact, when the room to amend has effectively closed.

The recommendation touches a long-standing weakness in Pakistan’s budget cycle, where finance bills are frequently passed with limited committee-stage examination.