FBR issues final ultimatum to 16 officers to declare dual citizenship or face action

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued a “most immediate” circular asking 16 senior officers to submit their foreign nationality declarations without delay.

According to internal documents obtained by the HUM Investigation Team, several FBR officers holding dual nationalities or foreign permanent residencies were asked on June 9 to submit their compliance reports by July 8. However, a significant number of officials failed to file the mandatory declarations.

The failure prompted the FBR to issue an urgent directive instructing the non-compliant officers to submit their declarations immediately.

The revenue collection agency issued the “most immediate” circular on September 1, reminding the officers to submit their foreign nationality declarations without further delay.

Under the Civil Servants (Disclosure and Regulation of Foreign Nationality) Rules, 2026, notified through Establishment Division S.R.O. No. 893(I)/2026 on June 1, 2026, all civil servants are required to disclose any foreign citizenship, green cards or permanent residencies within 90 days.

Dual citizenship breakdown

According to internal FBR records detailing a review of officers holding dual nationalities or permanent residencies abroad, 10 officers belong to the Inland Revenue Service (IRS), while six belong to the Pakistan Customs Service (PCS).

The list includes officers from senior bureaucratic grades.

Inland Revenue Service (10 officers)

Sajjad Taslim Azam (BS-21); Amna Faiz Bhatty, Shazia Memon, Naeem Babar, Iram Shabbir, Sanaullah Nawazani and Uzma Saqib (BS-20); Muhammad Asfandyar Janjua (BS-19); and Salma Shaheen and Masud Humayun (BS-17).

Pakistan Customs Service (six officers)

Zahra Haider and Tayyaba Bukhari (BS-20); Jamshed Ali Talpur, Misbah Khatana and Baasit Hussain (BS-19); and Farva Batool (BS-17).

Strict penalties for non-disclosure

The FBR circular, signed by Second Secretary (M/HR.C-I) Zakir Hussain, warned that failure to disclose foreign nationality status could carry severe administrative consequences.

Under Rule 3(4) of the 2026 Rules and the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020, failure to submit the required declaration or providing false information constitutes misconduct, according to the notice.

The circular said officers could face penalties for delinquency ranging from minor and major departmental sanctions to suspension or dismissal from service.