Senator Faisal Vawda has revealed that he received the death threats of the officers of the Federal Income Board (FBR) after raising concerns about the purchase of 1,010 vehicles, an issue that was discussed at a meeting of the Permanent Committee of the Senate. Vawda said he has evidence to support these accusations.
The Permanent Committee of Finance of the Senate, chaired by Senator Salem Mandviwala, met to discuss the issue of FBR vehicle purchase agreement. During the meeting, Vawda claimed that FBR officials threatened their life when he raised the problem, stating that he was prepared to provide evidence.
He called several FBR officers and revealed that he has compiled a list of 54 corrupt officials, who is ready to share.
The president of FBR, rashid langial, expressed concern about the accusations, stating that, as a parliamentarian, Vawda complaint must be taken seriously.
“If you received threats, it could also be at risk. This issue will not be left without control. It will be sent to a investigation agency for criminal investigation,” Langial said.
Vawda urged the government to act quickly, stating that he had found similar situations during his time in office and did not want the matter to be delayed.
The committee also addressed the issuance of FBR officers who carry out a raid in the office of a multinational company. The members of the Committee, including Farooq H. Naik, emphasized that this was a sensitive matter and requested a criminal investigation, suggesting that the case will be sent to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Langrial assured the committee that an exhaustive investigation would be carried out in the raid and said it would provide a full report on the matter if they trusted it. If they preferred an investigation of another officer, he was also open to that.
Senator Shibli Faraz raised concerns about vehicle purchases without competitive tender, qualifying him as a criminal problem that required an investigation. Langrial assured the committee that the vehicle’s purchase process would remain waiting until all concerns were addressed. He urged the matter not to be delayed anymore.
The issuance of the acquisition process by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) was also discussed. Langial clarified that, although the law did not require the prior approval of PPRA, the process should have been reviewed by the PPRA Board. He added that the Minister of Finance must seek detailed information about PPRA regarding the purchase of the vehicle.
Langial also questioned why other government departments were not classified in the same way that FBR officers in the integrated system, expressing frustration due to the lack of consistency in all areas.
