ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel has called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the finance minister to immediately halt the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) controversial purchase of over 1,000 cars for its officers. This comes at a time when the country is facing a revenue shortfall of Rs384 billion in the first half of the current fiscal year.
The Senate’s Standing Committee on Finance, led by Saleem Mandviwalla of the Peoples Party, urged the prime minister to reverse the purchase orders issued by the FBR to a single car assembler without any bidding process. The committee also called for action against those involved to prevent further embarrassment for the government.
Senator Faisal Vawda criticized the purchase, highlighting that the FBR had missed its revenue collection target by a significant margin. He argued that the Rs6 billion spent on cars could only be justified if the beneficiaries could recoup at least half of the shortfall. Vawda labeled the purchase as a scam and called for its immediate cessation.
The committee questioned the FBR’s head of administration, who failed to provide satisfactory answers regarding the rationale behind the purchase. The committee members expressed concerns over the lack of competition and the hasty issuance of the purchase order.
The committee also discussed a private member bill, the State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operation) (Amendment) Bill 2024, presented by Senator Anusha Rehman. The bill, which aims to provide clearer guidelines for the operation and governance of state-owned enterprises, received unanimous approval from the committee.