Daily Times

The government on Saturday removed Nausheen Javed Amjad as chairperson of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), appointing Javed Ghani as temporary head of the organisation.

“The federal government has been pleased to assign the additional charge of the post of Chairman, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), to Mr Muhammad Javed Ghani,” a notification issued by the Establishment Division on Saturday stated. His appointment has been made for a period of three months “or till the posting of a regular incumbent, whichever is earlier”.

A second notification issued by the Establishment Division said Amjad, a BS-22 officer of the Inland Revenue Service who was serving as the FBR chairperson, has been transferred and posted as the secretary of the National Heritage and Culture Division. The reason for her transfer is not immediately clear.

Nausheen Javed Amjad had been appointed FBR chairperson in the absence of former FBR chief Shabbar Zaidi in April 2020. In January, Zaidi had gone on indefinite leave citing health issues. In February, he had rejected speculations about his resignation, saying he had been unable to perform his duties due to ill health. The federal cabinet had subsequently approved the appointment of Amjad as FBR chief after circulating a summary in this regard.

The new appointment marks the fourth time the top tax authority has seen a change in leadership since PTI came into power.

Ghani is a BS-22 officer of the Pakistan Customs Service who was currently posted as a member of the FBR. According to his Twitter profile, Ghani holds an LLM (Master of Laws) degree in international economic law from Warwick University. The summary to give additional charge of the post of FBR chief to Ghani was approved by the federal cabinet through circulation.