ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Friday reshuffled the top bureaucracy of tax machinery and made them OSD after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lambasted it for failing to implement the track and trace system.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the track and trace system agreement made in 2019 was nothing but a cruel joke with the nation, as no improvement was seen in the tobacco, cement, sugar and fertilizer sectors.
Addressing the federal cabinet meeting here, he said the elements involved in deep-rooted corruption and criminal negligence would be held accountable.
He said the agreement was totally a fraud, as no penalty clause was included in it adding that he had ordered the constitution of an inquiry committee in this regard that will present its report within 72 hours.
Shehbaz said the government was rigorously pursuing the agenda of economic reforms to steer the country out of the present challenges.
He said the reports of international financial institutions and journals showing an upward trajectory about Pakistan’s economy testified to the prudent policies of the government. The prime minister said IT exports had been recorded all-time high and foreign remittances and overall exports of the country had witnessed a surge and credit of all this went to the sitting government.
He said foreign investment from friendly countries, including Saudi Arabia, was also increasing which would have a positive impact on the country’s economy. Shehbaz said the government was also implementing a comprehensive policy and was taking steps to reduce the power theft and lower its prices. “We not only have to take difficult decisions, but also have to safeguard them in the interest of country,” he said.
Following prime minister’s strong criticism, key members of the FBR, including Member Inland Revenue (Policy) and Member Customs (Operation), were made OSD and placed in the board’s administration pool.
It’s interesting that officers from both the Inland Revenue Service (IRS) and Customs Group were transferred and placed in the OSD list.
All such measures have been taken by Secretary Management HR-IR-1. There’s resentment in the FBR’s rank and file that the top political leadership was treating them harshly over non-issues, sometimes on aspects which was not in their control at all.
These officers also criticised their weak leadership, which failed to protect them.
According to a notification issued on Friday, 13 key members/director generals of the board and two chief commissioners Inland Revenue as well as Customs Group’s top officers have been placed in the admin pool. These officers are Mukarram Jah Ansari (Pakistan Customs Service/BS-22), Member, (Legal & Accounting-Customs) FBR (Hq), Islamabad; Mrs. Shah Bano G.M Khan (Inland Revenue Service/BS-21), Director General, (IOCO) FBR (Hq), Islamabad; Dr. Fareed Iqbal Qureshi (Pakistan Customs Service/BS-21), Member, (Customs Operations) FBR (Hq), Islamabad; Tariq Mustafa Khan (Inland Revenue Service/BS-21), Member, (Accounting) FBR (Hq), Islamabad; Ahmad Rauf (Pakistan Customs Service/BS-21), Director General, Directorate General of Law & Prosecution, Islamabad; Mirza Mubashir Baig (Pakistan Customs Service/BS-21), Director General, Directorate General of Customs Valuation, Karachi; Hyder Ali Dharejo (Inland Revenue Service/BS-21), Chief Commissioner, Regional Tax Office I, Karachi; Muhammad Azam Sheikh (Inland Revenue Service/BS-21), Director General, Directorate General of Internal Audit (Inland Revenue), Islamabad; Muhammad Saleem (Pakistan Customs Service/BS-21), Chief Collector, Chief Collector of Customs, Appraisement (South), Custom House, Karachi; Abdul Wahid Uqaily (Inland Revenue Service/BS-21), Chief Commissioner, Regional Tax Office II, Karachi; Afaque Ahmed Qureshi (Inland Revenue Service/BS-21), Member, (IR-Policy) FBR (Hq), Islamabad; Khurshid Ahmad Khan Marwat (Inland Revenue Service/BS-21), Chief Commissioner, Regional Tax Office, Islamabad.
Asim Majid Khan, a BS-21 officer of Inland Revenue Service, presently posted as Member (Legal-IR), FBR, was transferred and posted as Member (Admin Pool), FBR.
Meanwhile, the FBR made these drastic changes after receiving reports from intelligence agencies. On Friday midnight, the FBR issued a notification on transfers/postings of 22 IRS officers with immediate effect. Syed Nadeem Hussain Rizvi (Inland Revenue Service/BS-22) who was serving as Member, (Admn/HR) Federal Board of Revenue (Hq), Islamabad was transferred and posted as Director General, Inland Revenue Service Academy (IRS Academy), Lahore, Ms. Amina Hassan (Inland Revenue Service/BS-21) was transferred from Director General, Inland Revenue Service Academy (IRS Academy), Lahore and posted as Director General, Directorate General of Anti Benami Initiative, Islamabad (stationed at Lahore), Ahmad Shuja Khan (Inland Revenue Service/BS-21) got transferred from Member, (Audit/CRM) Federal Board of Revenue (Hq), Islamabad and assigned the additional charge of the post of Director General, Directorate General of IOCO, Federal Board of Revenue (Hq), Islamabad, as per Rules, Sadia Sadaf Gillani (Inland Revenue Service/BS-21) got transferred and posted as Member (Admn/HR), Federal Board of Revenue (Hq), Islamabad, Muhammad Abid Raza Bodla (Inland Revenue Service/BS-21) transferred from Chief Commissioner, Regional Tax Office, Bahawalpur and posted as Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue, Corporate Tax Office, Lahore, Dr. Muhammad Sarmad Qureshi (Inland Revenue Service/BS-21 was transferred from Chief Commissioner, Regional Tax Office, Sahiwal and posted as Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue, Regional Tax Office I, Karachi, Mohammad Farooq Azam Memon (Inland Revenue Service/BS-21) as Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue, Regional Tax Office, Abbottabad, Imtiaz Ali Solangi (Inland Revenue Service/BS-21) as Member (Accounting), Federal Board of Revenue (Hq), Islamabad, Abid Mehmood (Inland Revenue Service/BS-21) as Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue, Regional Tax Office, Islamabad, Muhammad Tariq Arbab (Inland Revenue Service/BS-21) as Member (Legal-IR), Federal Board of Revenue (Hq), Islamabad, Laila Ghafoor (Inland Revenue Service/BS-20) as Director General, (OPS) Directorate General of Designated Non Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs), Islamabad (stationed at Lahore), Sahibzada Abdul Mateen (Inland Revenue Service/BS-20) as Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue, (OPS) Medium Taxpayers Office, Karachi, Faridullah Jan Khan (Inland Revenue Service/BS-20) as Director General (OPS), Directorate General of Broadening of Tax Base, Federal Board of Revenue (Hq), Islamabad, Aisha Farooq (Inland Revenue Service/BS-20) as Director General (OPS), Directorate General of Withholding Taxes, Federal Board of Revenue (Hq), Islamabad, Hina Akram (Inland Revenue Service/BS-20) as Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue, (OPS) Regional Tax Office II, Karachi.
The FBR also posted Adnan Inamullah Khan (Inland Revenue Service/BS-20) as Director General, (OPS) Directorate General of Internal Audit (Inland Revenue), Islamabad, Muhammad Khalid Malik (Inland Revenue Service/BS-20 as Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue, (OPS) Regional Tax Office, Hyderabad, Amna Faiz Bhatty (Inland Revenue Service/BS-20) as Member (OPS) (IR-Policy), Federal Board of Revenue (Hq), Islamabad, Mufeeza Iqbal (Inland Revenue Service/BS-20 as Director General (OPS), Directorate General of International Tax Operations, Federal Board of Revenue (Hq), Islamabad, Asim Ansar Siddiqui (Inland Revenue Service/BS-20) as Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue, (OPS) Regional Tax Office, Bahawalpur, Ahmad Kamal (Inland Revenue Service/BS-20) as Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue, (OPS) Corporate Tax Office, Islamabad and Muhammad Taqi Qureshi (Inland Revenue Service/BS-20) as Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue, (OPS) Regional Tax Office, Sahiwal.
The officers who are drawing performance allowance prior to issuance of this notification shall continue to draw this allowance on the new place of posting. The above-named officers are requested to send charge Relinquishment/Assumption to FBR immediately after Relinquishment/Assumption of charge for record and further necessary action. On Customs side, the FBR also transferred and posted 14 top officers as Faiz Ahmad (Pakistan Customs Service/BS-22) was transferred from Director General, Directorate General of Intelligence & Investigation,FBR, Islamabad and posted as Director General, Customs Academy of Pakistan (CAP), Karachi (The post will remain upgraded as personal to him and for as long as it is held by him), Muhammad Sadiq (Pakistan Customs Service/BS-21) posted as Director General, Directorate General of Customs Valuation, Karachi, Abdul Qadir Memon (Pakistan Customs Service/BS-21) as Director General, Directorate General of IPR (Enforcement), Islamabad, Seema Raza Bokhari (Pakistan Customs Service/BS-21) posted as The officer is assigned the additional charge of the post of Deputy Director General, Directorate General of National Nuclear Detection Architecture (NNDA), Islamabad in addition to already assigned duties, Mr. Muhammad Ali Raza Hanjra (Pakistan Customs Service/BS-21) as Director General, Directorate General of Intelligence & Investigation,FBR, Islamabad. The officer is also assigned the additional charge of the post of Project Director (ITTMS), Federal Board of Revenue (HQ), Islamabad, and many others.