NBR officials call off shutdown after govt warning

Officials of the National Board of Revenue have withdrawn their shutdown, following a stern government warning and mounting pressure from the country's top business leaders.

The announcement came from the NBR Reform Unity Council, the platform spearheading the protests.

In a statement, the protest leaders said they decided to withdraw the complete shutdown "in view of broader economic and public interest". But the group has expressed hope that positive momentum will continue to achieve "comprehensive and sustainable reform" of the revenue system.

The strike that continued for two days crippled the port and customs services. Earlier in the day, the government signalled it would take tougher measures to break the impasse.

In a parallel move, the government formed a five-member advisory committee led by Energy Adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan to help resolve the standoff over the contentious NBR reform ordinance, which had triggered protests across the revenue administration.

The actions came amid growing pressure from business leaders and a spiralling economic toll, as protesting NBR officials refused to back down from demands that include the removal of NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan and an end to what they termed "vengeful transfers".

In a separate development, the Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday launched an investigation into six NBR officials, including Hasan Mohammad Tarek Rikabder, the president of the NBR Reform Unity Council, over allegations of facilitating large-scale tax evasion and accumulating illicit wealth through bribery.

ACC Director General Md Akhter Hossain said the commission initiated the probe after verifying the allegations.

"The ACC does not act as anyone's instrument. The decision to investigate was taken following due diligence," he told reporters yesterday.

In a statement, the government said it was "deeply concerned to observe that, for the past two months, a section of NBR officials and employees have been unjustly and unethically obstructing the country's trade, import-export operations, and revenue collection activities under the pretext of a movement".

"This has created severe disruptions, which are entirely unacceptable," it said.

Beyond merely opposing reforms, they have severely hampered revenue collection during the final two months of the fiscal year, the government said, describing the protest as "deliberate and ill-intentioned and completely against the national interest and citizens' rights".

"The government had clearly stated its willingness to consider the demands of NBR officials and called for dialogue. Yet, they disregarded this and, instead of seeking an acceptable solution through discussion, continued their rigid stance, causing ongoing damage to the national economy."

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