FBR infrastructure described as ‘critical infrastructure’

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet – on the recommendation of Revenue Division – on Tuesday approved declaring the Federal Board of Revenue’s infrastructure as critical infrastructure under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016.

A statement issued by the PM Office, said the objective of this is to protect FBR’s highly sensitive data from cyber attacks such as hacking and any unlawful intervention.

It said that the initiative taken by the government will go a long way to further protect the sensitive data of the FBR.

Tax evasion: FBR seeks data from different countries

The move comes over two years after the tax records of the then Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s family members were leaked to the press, accusing him and his family of amassing assets worth Rs12.7 billion during his six-year tenure.

The cabinet, on the recommendation of the Aviation Division, also approved the extension of the temporary operating permits for Fly Dubai’s weekly flights from Lahore and Islamabad to Dubai and from Dubai to Lahore and Islamabad.

The extension is granted from January 4, 2025, to February 3, 2025.

The cabinet was briefed by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs regarding public sector imports and exports through the Gwadar Port by 11 federal ministries/ divisions from March 2024 onward.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who presided over the meeting, directed that all relevant ministries’ reports be included in the briefing, and a comprehensive report be submitted.

He also instructed that 60 per cent of all public sector imports and exports should be conducted through Gwadar Port.

The cabinet was briefed by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication on the progress of implementing the e-Office system in federal ministries and divisions.

The meeting was told that, for the first time, the government was implementing e-Office on such a large scale.

It was explained that, starting January 1, 2025, all communication between federal ministries and divisions will be paperless, with all file movements and correspondence being conducted solely through e-Office.

It was also shared that e-Office has been fully implemented in 21 ministries/ divisions.

The implementation of e-office will not only save time but also benefit the national exchequer through savings on stationery and fuel.

With the introduction of e-office, the processing time for summaries at the PM’s Office has now been reduced to a maximum of just three days.

The cabinet, on the recommendation of the Cabinet Division, approved the purchase of refurbished chromebooks for schools and colleges, granting an exemption under Section 21-A of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority Ordinance.

The prime minister directed that a third-party audit of the purchase be carried out.

The cabinet approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Investment Board and Shandong Ruyi Group of China regarding the establishment of textile parks.

The cabinet, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, approved the signing of an MoU between the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia and the Foreign Service Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan.

The cabinet was presented with the recommendations of the Cabinet Committee on Private Hajj Operators Court Cases.

The committee recommended that the current 46 operators manage the Hajj arrangements for 2025.

The committee also suggested that a new Hajj policy be formulated for the upcoming years. The federal cabinet approved the committee’s recommendations and instructed that steps be taken to conclude all pending court cases concerning private Hajj operators.

The federal cabinet also validated the decisions made during the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases meetings held on December 31, 2024, and January 1, 2025.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025