The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has transferred two senior officials from Karachi to Islamabad in a move that has triggered widespread speculation about the future of major investigations involving alleged benami transactions and money laundering linked to vehicle imports worth trillions of rupees.
The transfers, officially described as routine administrative adjustments, have nonetheless drawn public attention due to their timing and the sensitive nature of the cases involved. Among those reassigned is Abdul Hameed Abro, formerly Commissioner (Ops) Inland Revenue, Benami Zone-III in Karachi. Abro had been spearheading a far-reaching investigation into the misuse of Pakistan’s Vehicle Baggage and Gift Schemes (VB&GS), which were intended to facilitate personal imports but are alleged to have been systematically exploited by commercial importers in collaboration with clearing agents and customs officials.
In a statement shared on social media, Abro asserted that his transfer was a direct consequence of his uncompromising actions against influential groups benefiting from irregularities in vehicle imports. He said his only “offense” was enforcing the law and safeguarding public finances, adding that while his posting has changed, his resolve to continue the fight against financial malpractice remains intact.
The investigation under Abro’s leadership focused on vehicle clearances processed between February 2018 and May 2025. Authorities demanded detailed records from suspected individuals and entities, including import documentation, customs declarations, bank statements, and the identities of end users. The probe aimed to expose how certain operators allegedly manipulated the schemes to avoid duties and taxes while transferring illicit funds through informal money channels.
Sheeraz Ahmad, Director of Post Clearance Audit (PCA) South, was also transferred to Islamabad. Ahmad’s team had been auditing Pakistan’s Faceless Customs Assessment (FCA) system, a digital platform introduced to reduce corruption and improve transparency in customs clearance. However, his findings pointed to significant flaws in the system’s implementation. The PCA audit uncovered large-scale under-invoicing of luxury vehicles and indicated that importers often bypassed legitimate banking channels, instead using hawala and hundi networks to settle international payments.
The audit estimated that these practices had resulted in around Rs 38 billion in revenue losses for the national exchequer. The revelations cast doubt on whether the FCA system was meeting its intended objectives or inadvertently creating loopholes for misuse.
While the FBR maintains that the reassignments are part of standard administrative reshuffles, the developments have sparked concerns about whether ongoing investigations will lose momentum or be abandoned entirely. Observers warn that without continuity in leadership, critical enforcement actions could stall, potentially allowing implicated networks to regroup.
Both officials are set to take up their new roles in Islamabad, but the uncertainty surrounding the probes has led to calls for the FBR to publicly reaffirm its commitment to pursuing these cases to their conclusion. Given the financial stakes and the allegations of high-level involvement, many see the outcome as a test of the tax authority’s resolve to uphold accountability in the face of entrenched economic interests.