Accounting from a Religious Perspective: A Case of the Central Government Accounting in Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the role of religion (Islam) in the development of accounting at the central government in Islamic Republic of Pakistan.Design/methodology/approach – It is an empirical paper that is situated within a social constructionist world view philosophical paradigm and that takes advantage of the descriptive and analytical characteristics of the qualitative case study. Islamic concepts, which are suggestive of Islamic accounting, constitute a theoretical framework for this study. Findings - The findings of the study indicate that the role of religion in the development of accounting in Pakistan is minimal or virtually non-existent. The current accounting system is deemed to be a result of the overall process of hybridization where many institutional and cultural factors may have played the major role in shaping accounting practices rather than the religion of Islam. Practical implications – There are cultural (excluding religion), as well as institutional factors, that are beyond the scope of this paper and that may have played a greater role in the (re)formation of the accounting practices as compared to religion. However, the dual nature of the concept of Islamic accounting - that is, (1) the accountability of government to fellow people (public) and (2) to Allah (God) - may play a wider role in the development of need-based accounting practices in central government accounting in Islam Republic of Pakistan. Originality/Value – This research is first in its nature to comprehend the role of religion (Islam) in the shaping the Government accounting practices in Pakistan. Hopefully, it has contributed to a better understanding of the concepts of Islamic accounting within a rather alien-empirical context, that is, Islamic Republic of Pakistan where constitutionally Islam is declared as a state religion.