FBR chairman’s salary frozen on PHC order

Tiwana had failed to submit reply to repeated reminders in a pending tax case

ISLAMABAD:

The Peshawar High Court has frozen the salary of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Malik Amjed Zubair Tiwana for not submitting reply to repeated reminders in a pending tax case.

The PHC additional registrar issued instructions to the accountant general of Pakistan to implement the court order, following which the salary of Tiwana was stopped.

The FBR officials confirmed that Tiwana’s salary had been suspended. However, attempts to reach out to Special Assistant Director to FBR chairman, Naveed, and Legal Member Asim Majeed to inquire about their stance were unsuccessful as no contact could be established with them."

According to the document available with Express, the PHC Mingora Bench, Swat, on February 14, 2024 had issued order to freeze FBR chairman’s salary for not submitting reply to repeated reminders in the pending tax case.

The order stated that Tiwana’s salary would remain suspended until he submits para-wise comments and reply.

On the order of the PHC, a copy of the judgment was sent to the departments concerned by the additional registrar.

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Sources stated that the relevant departments had informed the PHC after implementing its order.

Tax lawyer Waheed Shahzad Butt told Express that the response and comments from the FBR in the case of Muzaffar Khan vs Government of Pakistan etc filed in writ petition number 1318-M of 2023 had been pending. He said Tiwana was also a party in the case.

A letter was written to the FBR on November 15, 2023 seeking para-wise comments in the case.

Later, reminders were sent on December 26, 2023, January 16, 2024 and February 14 but para-wise comments were still not submitted following which the PHC ordered freezing Tiwana’s salary.

Sources maintained that implementing the court order, the accountant general of Pakistan had suspended the FBR chairman’s salary for the month of February.