A 12-member delegation comprising senior officers of the Administrative Cadre from the Bangladesh Civil Services visited the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Headquarters in Islamabad, as part of the ongoing 21-day study tour of Pakistan. The FBR visit was part of the thematic component on Policy Innovation, one of the three core areas being studied by the delegation during the programme, alongside Government System and Education Leadership. The delegation was accompanied by Director General Civil Services Academy (CSA), Mr. Farhan Aziz Khawaja, along with faculty members of the Academy.
Chairman FBR, Mr. Rashid Mahmood Langrial warmly welcomed the visiting delegation. Speaking on the occasion, the Chairman highlighted the longstanding brotherly relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh, observing that both countries share historical ties and a common administrative and governance legacy. He added that regular exchange of visits by civil servants between Pakistan and Bangladesh will provide a vital platform for further strengthening bilateral relations through mutual learning, exchange of governance experiences and enhanced institutional cooperation between the two friendly countries. He apprised the delegation about the major reforms and transformation initiatives introduced within FBR to improve transparency, efficiency and institutional performance.
During the meeting, the Chairman also informed the participants about measures undertaken for eradication of corruption, elimination of nepotism culture in postings and transfers and ensuring placement of the right person for the right job. The Chairman elaborated on the introduction of a modern performance evaluation system based on officer categorization from A to D. He further shared that more than 90 percent officers placed at vital positions belong to Category A and B under the new evaluation framework.
Senior officers from Pakistan Customs and Inland Revenue Service (IRS) gave detailed presentations on various initiatives under the FBR Transformation Plan. The delegation was briefed, among others, on POS Integration, Compliance Risk Management, Faceless Customs System aimed at removing officer discretion, introduction of market-competitive salaries linked with performance and AI-based production monitoring systems in different sectors. Member (IR-Operations), Member (Customs-Operations) and Member (Administration) also attended the meeting.
The Bangladeshi delegation, led by Ms. Salma Siddiqua Mahtab, Additional Secretary, comprised senior Joint Secretaries including Mr. Mohammed Mostofa Jamal Haider, Mr. Abu Rayhan Miah, Mr. Firoz Ahmed, Mr. Mohammad Monirul Islam, Mr. Toufik Imam, Mr. Raihan Akhtar, Mr. A.F.M. Ehteshamul Hoque, Mr. Mohammad Shamsul Hoque, Mr. Muhammad Abdus Salam, Dr. Zillur Rahman and Mr. Zia Ahmed Suman.
The visiting delegates appreciated the governance structure, institutional capacity and reform-oriented initiatives being undertaken in FBR. The participants expressed hope that the learnings and experiences gained during the visit would help in introducing similar reforms and innovations in Bangladesh.
Director General CSA thanked the Chairman FBR for hosting the delegation and for providing valuable insights into the operational and reform-oriented domains of the organization.
The visit is expected to further strengthen the close and brotherly relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh through enhanced institutional cooperation and exchange of administrative experiences.
