Rashid Mahmood Langrial succeeds Amjad Zubair Tiwana as FBR chief

Rashid Mahmood Langrial of the Pakistan Administrative Services (PAS) has been appointed to head the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) after the federal cabinet approved his name for the top position in the tax-collecting authority, Geo News reported, citing a notification on Wednesday.

The grade-21 officer "is transferred and posted as Chairman, Federal Board of Revenue, under Section 10 of the Civil Servants Act, 1973, with immediate effect," the notification, issued today by the Establishment Division from the Cabinet Secretariat, read.

Sources reported earlier today that the PAS officer's name had been proposed to the prime minister for the top slot of the government body.

Langrial, an alumnus of Government College Lahore and Harvard Kennedy School from where he did his Master's in Public Administration (International Development) (MPA-ID), has authored a book: "Story of the Fair Sex: Socioeconomic Conditions of Women Through Time".

The sources had disclosed that the senior officers of the tax collecting body did not cooperate with Tiwana, who is considered close to Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

The former FBR boss, who was appointed during the caretaker government, had to face criticism on the issue of digitisation and bifurcation between IRS and Customs groups, said the sources.

The sources close to the FBR chairman say that the tax machinery fetched Rs9,311 billion revenue during the last fiscal year by achieving 30% growth in revenues despite a difficult economic environment.

Having joined the civil service of Pakistan in 1995, the officer served in different government positions in various sectors. He served as Chief Secretary Gilgit Baltistan (Mar 2022 – Apr 2022), Commissioner Lahore Division (Oct 2013 – Jan 2015) under the Punjab government, Secretary Agriculture Punjab (Jan 2015 – Sep 2015), Chief Executive Officer of National Power Parks Management Company (NPPMCL) (Pvt) (2015 - 2018) under the federal government, Chairperson Lahore Ring Road Authority (Jul 2011 – Oct 2013) under the Punjab government as well as Secretary Tourism Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2019 – 2020).

The development came after former FBR chairman Amjad Zubair Tiwana on July 31 resigned from his office, requesting the PM Secretariat to remove him from the FBR chief post.

The sources had told Geo News that the ex-chief of the board consulted with some cabinet members before resigning and his friends suggested him to step down.

The sources said that Tiwana had met the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and PM’s close aide on Establishment Division Ahad Cheema and informed him verbally that he could not continue to head the FBR, according to The News.

Langrial is currently serving as Secretary Power Division. He was elevated by the Establishment Division to the post in March this year from the post of the Additional Secretary Industries and Production Division.