ISLAMABAD: The federal government has reshuffled top tax officers of Customs owing to shortfalls in revenue collection and poor performance.

The much-awaited transfers of these officers were made on Friday when Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Shabbar Zaidi went on medical leaves for the second time in January.

The government transferred Member Customs Operation Jawwad Uwais Agha, who was head of the whole team responsible for the customs duties collection. In the first six months of this fiscal year, the customs collection posted approximately Rs94bn shortfall.

Member Customs Policy Javed Ghani was assigned additional charge of Member Customs (Operations).

Few collectors especially those posted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were also transferred and posted at the FBR.

According to the notification, Muhammad Saleem has been transferred and posted as collector, MCC (Appraisement), Peshawar; Khaleel Ibrahim Yousfani, Collector MCC (Preventive), Peshawar; Muhammad Yaqoob Mako, Collector, MCC (Preventive) Quetta. He will also look after the charge of the Collector MCC, Gwadar.

Similarly, Irfan-ur-Rehman was transferred and posted as Collector, MCC (Appraisement), Quetta. He will also look after the charge of Directorate of Transit Trade, Quetta; Fayyaz Anwar, Collector MCC (Preventive), Multan; Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh will also look after the charge of MCC (Export) PMBQ, Karachi; Irfan Javed will also look after the charge of the post of Director, Directorate of I&I Gwadar.

Four collectors who were transferred and posted as chiefs at FBR (HQ) are Asif Saeed Khan Lughmani, Ihsan Ali Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Raza. Arbab Qaiser Hamid was transferred from Peshawar and posted as secretary FBR (HQ); Shahid Jan, Additional Collector, MCC (Appraisement), Peshawar and Dr Tahir Iqbal Khattak, Second Secretary, FBR (HQ).

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2020