ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue has suspended two senior Inland Revenue Service officers for 120 days, ordering them to report to headquarters three times a day.
Naib Ali Pathan, a BS-20 officer posted as Commissioner-IR in Hyderabad’s Regional Tax Office, and Ali Saleh Hayat Kalyar, a BS-19 officer serving as Additional Commissioner-IR in Sargodha, were placed under suspension effective immediately under Rule 5(1) of the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020.
The orders, dated Oct. 19, require both officers to attend the office of the Member for Administration and Human Resources at FBR headquarters daily, with their presence marked at 9 a.m., noon and 4 p.m. They must also maintain and submit a daily time diary throughout the suspension period.
The two officers hold leadership positions in the Inland Revenue Services Officers Association — Pathan as president and Kalyar as general secretary.
In a separate communication, FBR instructed field formations to strictly follow Establishment Division guidelines before recommending suspensions. The board said field offices have been forwarding cases for minor breaches of discipline, sometimes without a preliminary inquiry or recorded justification.
The guidelines, contained in ESTACODE 2015, require a strong prima facie case against the officer and justify suspension only when the offense is serious enough that dismissal is the probable punishment, or when retention would hamper an inquiry. Suspension should not be used for petty breaches or minor departmental offenses, and no one should be suspended unless they willfully refuse orders, would obstruct an inquiry, are in police custody, or face charges that would ordinarily result in dismissal.
FBR directed all heads of field formations to adhere to the guidelines before forwarding any suspension case to the board.
