ISLAMABAD The government sacked Federal Board of Revenue chairman Abdullah Yousuf on Wednesday and appointed Board of Investment Secretary Ahmed Waqar to succeed him.

Yousuf, who was one of the most important economic managers of the previous government, was removed from his post in the middle of an important trade delegation to the World Trade Organisation.

The former FBR chairman was scheduled to leave for Moscow on Wednesday for talks with Russian officials on customs cooperation.

On Tuesday, he was made member of a committee to recommend ways for reducing the impact of international oil prices on the economy.

According to a notification issued by the establishment division, the services of Mr Yousuf as chairman of the FBR and secretary general revenue were terminated with immediate effect.

Ahmad Waqar, a BS-22 officer of the secretariat group, has been given the additional charge of the revenue division. He will take over his new assignment on Thursday.

Waqar, who earlier held the post of finance secretary, was dismissed by the last caretaker government on charges of alleged inefficiency.

Yousuf, who held the additional charge of secretary general revenue, was among the four trusted economic managers of President Pervez Musharraf. All of them have been eased out.

The other three are Export Promotion Bureau chairman Tariq Ikram, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Dr Akram Shaikh and finance secretary Dr Waqar Masood.

Just three days before the completion of its five-year term in November last year, the PML-Q-led government had granted a three-year extension to Mr Yousuf, who turned 60 in March of this year.

The extension was granted to ensure continuity of the World Bank-funded reforms project for tax administration which was expected to be completed next year.

Yousuf was inducted into the unified regular cadre of the secretariat group in BPS-22 in 2006 and was subsequently declared the senior-most federal secretary, followed by his elevation to the post of secretary general.

When Yousuf took charge of the FBR in 2004, the revenue collection was Rs518.8 billion, which increased to over Rs1,002 billion in 2007-08.