Islamabad:
Managing Director of Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (Pral) has refused to have a temporary expansion during his tenure, creating fresh challenges for the government if the decision to either shut down or restructure the unit has already sent ripples among the employees.
The boast board had offered CEO Amir Malik an extension until a new head was appointed, according to correspondence seen by the Express Pakinomist. Pral acts as the backbone of Pakistan’s tax system.
Malik’s extended office ends end next week, which will come, as is Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed Pral to be wound up and replaced with a new, more effective unit.
Sources said that Malik did not accept the board’s offer of temporarily staying on temporarily and argued that neither boar nor the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) defended the organization of the Prime Minister. The government has not yet announced the position of CEO of the press.
When he was contacted, a senior FBR official said the government would hire a new full-time CEO from the market.
Malik did not respond to a request for comments.
Uncertainty about Pral’s future first arose when the prime minister instructed his closure last month. Later, the government said the meeting minutes had not been properly registered and that the prime minister wanted to restructure boast and not shut it down.
After a story was shown in the Express Pakinomist, Pral Management and Board issued a statement that the recent discussions about modernization had led to a decision to turn the existing structure of Pral into a new, advanced organization as part of FBR’s digital transformation strategy.
Pral delivers improved functionality, economic autonomy and technological innovation, which ensures a world -class experience for both FBR and taxpayers, according to the statement.
The added: “We will clarify that Pral will continue its operations without interruption throughout this period. All current systems, services and support functions will remain fully operational to ensure that there is no disturbance to our stakeholders.”
The statement also added that the transition will be gradual, well -coordinated and trouble -free, ensuring stability for employees, users and customers at all phases.
The CEO’s first three -year period was completed in February this year, which the Board of Directors of Pral extended for a period of six months, which will end next week.
The decision to close or restructure Pral has uncontrolled employees and raises fear of job security. A couple of senior officials have already offered their resignation, one of which even seeks waions of the notice period, according to the sources.
Pral Board members believed that Malik had sought re-appointment instead of a short-term extension. They said the board would advertise for a new CEO, while Malik would have the opportunity to compete for the position. Given his experience, they noticed, he could have an advantage over other candidates.
Pral’s senior management was of the opinion that the unit was wrongly blamed for the outdated hardware and software systems that have reached both the end of life and the end of the service and is a reason for disruption and lack of accessibility of some of the services.
They said that FBR also did not want to close Starr and faster systems used to treat taxation, but still ran on Oracle 8.
The taxpayers file return and pay tax through the Pral’s system, which also acts as a deposit for all tax transactions. However, the outdated hardware and software has raised questions about the sustainability of services. The government had taken out a foreign loan in 2019 to upgrade systems, but tempts have since lapsed.
The management has also informed the board that Pral is facing difficulties in hiring experienced professionals in the private sector, including a CFO and Chief Product Officer.
The boast management had also requested hiring managers of software platforms and head of software development. The shortlisted names were sent to the board for a while, but there were delays in ending the candidates, the sources said.
FBR, which is dependent on boast for its digital backbone, has also extended the income tax return deadline to October 31, 2025, which can also help it avoid operational disruption after Pral’s pending closure or restructuring.
Last week, however, the Pral Board said that despite the planned restructuring, ordinary services will not be disturbed.
