FBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi refutes resignation rumours

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Shabbar Zaidi said on Tuesday that he had not resigned but had stopped working owing to ill health.

Rumours and speculation had been rife that the FBR chairman had resigned from his post owing to differences with the economic team. On Monday, Prime Minister Imran Khan rejected speculation that SBP Governor Reza Baqir and Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh were not resigning from their posts.

Zaidi spoke to Geo News to state that he was not resigning as chairman FBR. “I have not resigned from my post as chairman FBR. I have just not been able to perform my duties due to ill health,” he said.

Earlier this month, Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh had indicated that the federal government may change the FBR chairman if he did not recover soon.

Zaidi had gone on leave from January 6 to January 19 on grounds of ill health. After rumours started doing the rounds that the FBR chairman had resigned, a press release from the bureau refuted the speculation.

“Rumors of any sort of rift in the economic team is utterly incorrect,” the FBR had said in a statement.