ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government has appointed Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad as the chairman of its top revenue authority, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), it said in a notification on Tuesday.
Ahmad’s appointment comes just four months after the government installed Asim Ahmed as the FBR chief. He is the sixth FBR chairman appointed by Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government in three years.
An officer of Grade-21, the second-highest grade in Pakistan’s bureaucracy, Ahmad was until now serving as a member of FBR’s Inland Revenue wing.
He has been appointed the FBR chairman “with immediate effect and until further orders,” the notification issued by the Establishment Division said.
The development comes as Pakistan continues to struggle with its dwindling economy that has seen a historic depreciation of the rupee against dollar (USD1=PKR165.41).
In its efforts to revive the economy and the country’s depleting foreign reserves, PM Khan’s government has replaced five FBR chairpersons since it took over the reins of the country after July 2018 general elections. These former FBR chairpersons include Jehanzeb Khan, Shabbar Zaidi, Nausheen Javaid, Javed Ghani and Asim Ahmad.
Among them, the case of Shabbar Zaidi is the most interesting one. Appointed in May 2019, Zaidi was touted by government functionaries and PM Khan himself as someone who could put the country’s economy back on track. But before Zaidi could work wonders, he resigned in January 2020 on account of “deteriorating health conditions,” only to later publicly criticize the government for its policies and decisions.
PM Khan's government appoints sixth chairman of revenue collection authority in three years
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PM Khan's government appoints sixth chairman of revenue collection authority in three years
- The development comes four months after the appointment of outgoing Federal Board of Revenue chief
- New FBR chairman faces dwindling economy and historic depreciation of rupee against the dollar
