Karachi, June 28, 2025 – Ehsan Malik, Chairman of the Finance Bill 2025 Anomalies Committee (Business), has sounded the alarm over what he described as “unprecedented negligence” and “utter disrespect” shown by top Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials.
Malik revealed that several members of the high-powered committee either resigned or staged a walk-out during a crucial meeting—citing sheer frustration over the non-serious attitude of the Member (IR-Policy), who is responsible for overseeing the correction of budget anomalies.
The committee, entrusted with identifying and resolving anomalies in the Finance Bill, found itself stonewalled at every step. Despite repeated requests, the meetings were not scheduled in a timely fashion. Even when they were called, the Member IR (Policy) barely made an appearance. According to Malik, the official only remained in the room for a mere ten minutes on June 24 before vanishing to “attend urgent matters,” leaving the committee abandoned.
“The members of the anomalies committee were kept waiting for nearly 45 minutes without any representation from FBR,” Malik protested, terming the incident a blatant insult to some of the country’s most influential business leaders. “We were treated with indifference. This isn’t just a procedural failure—it’s a collapse of trust.”
The anomalies committee was composed of presidents and CEOs from eleven top chambers and business bodies across Pakistan, and was expected to play a pivotal role in correcting anomalies before the bill’s passage. However, Malik warned that their valuable input was effectively ignored, undermining the committee’s purpose.
“At my personal insistence, the committee members refrained from formally resigning or walking out en masse,” Malik stated. “But the damage is done. Anomalies still exist, and taxpayers—who bear the brunt of these policy flaws—deserve better.”
He also submitted the minutes of the abandoned meeting, highlighting key anomalies that remain unaddressed. Malik has now demanded clarity from FBR: “How does the government plan to rectify these anomalies now that the Finance Bill has already been passed? The silence is deafening.”
This explosive fallout raises serious questions about the committee’s future, and whether such consultations are merely ceremonial, or genuinely meant to correct structural flaws in fiscal policymaking.