Islamabad, October 10, 2024 – The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued a directive on Thursday halting the recruitment process for positions under Basic Scale (BS) grades 1 to 4 in both the Pakistan Customs and Inland Revenue Service (IRS). This suspension of recruitment applies with immediate effect, as outlined in a circular issued to the heads of Customs and IRS field formations across the country.
The FBR has clarified that this pause in the recruitment process applies to all ongoing recruitments in the BS-1 to BS-4 grades, except for cases where an offer of appointment had already been issued by the respective field formations on or before October 10, 2024. Recruitment processes for all other positions that have not reached this stage will now be stopped.
The circular further instructs the relevant field formations to provide detailed information on the posts for which appointment letters have already been issued. This information is to be submitted to the FBR no later than October 11, 2024. The FBR has emphasized the need for timely compliance with this directive in order to ensure proper management of the recruitment process.
The decision to halt recruitment was made with the approval of the Secretary of Revenue Division, who is also the Chairman of the FBR. However, the reasons behind this sudden suspension of hiring for these grades have not yet been officially disclosed. Analysts speculate that this could be part of broader administrative reforms or adjustments in the federal government’s hiring strategy, although no formal statement on this has been made by the FBR.
The halt has created uncertainty among candidates who were actively participating in the recruitment process. Several potential candidates have expressed concerns over the future of these recruitments, particularly those who were in the final stages of the hiring process but had not yet received appointment letters. The FBR’s directive comes at a time when many government departments are working to streamline operations and ensure fiscal discipline in light of ongoing economic challenges in the country.
For now, field formations of both Pakistan Customs and the IRS are awaiting further instructions from the FBR as the recruitment process remains suspended until further notice.