New Delhi, Oct 25 (IANS) Pakistan's publicly listed companies continue to face challenges in corporate transparency, particularly in areas related to human rights, environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosures, and anti-corruption measures, according to Transparency International Pakistan's latest corporate reporting assessment.
The Transparency in Corporate Reporting Assessment (TRAC) 2026, which evaluated 104 public limited companies listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange, awarded an average score of 66.73 per cent, or 6.67 out of 10, according to Geo TV report.
The score was lower than the 72.3 per cent average recorded in the previous edition, which had assessed 69 companies.
None of the companies surveyed achieved a perfect transparency score. However, Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDC), Fauji Cement Company Limited and Sazgar Engineering Works Limited emerged as the top performers, with overall scores of 92.71 per cent, 91.67 per cent and 91.04 per cent, respectively.
The report identified human rights and corporate social responsibility disclosures as the weakest area, with companies scoring an average of just 45.98 per cent.
ESG-related disclosures followed closely behind at 47.84 per cent, while transparency around anti-corruption programmes averaged 53.41 per cent.
The findings point to significant gaps in publicly available information related to corporate accountability and responsible business practices, as per the report.
In contrast, companies performed strongly in disclosing organisational structures and domestic financial information. Organisational transparency recorded an average score of 92.49 per cent, while domestic financial reporting scored 92.50 per cent, placing both categories in the report's highest transparency range.
The assessment also examined disclosures on gender equality, non-discrimination and disability inclusion. Companies scored an average of 68.11 per cent in this category.
However, the report highlighted shortcomings in disability inclusion initiatives and the disclosure of grievance mechanisms for reporting discriminatory practices.
Within the human rights and CSR category, Fauji Cement was the only company to achieve full transparency. The assessment reviewed disclosures related to human rights due diligence, child labour prevention, employee safety, wage payment systems and grievance procedures.
The report further pointed to weaknesses in anti-corruption reporting, particularly regarding employee training, communication of anti-corruption policies and mechanisms for reporting corruption-related concerns. OGDC, Fatima Fertiliser Company Limited, Pakistan Tobacco Company Limited and Lucky Core Industries Limited recorded the strongest performance in this category.
--IANS
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