ISLAMABAD: Under the aegis of Federal Tax Ombudsman Zafar Hijazi, the Federal Tax Ombudsperson’s Office has continued to serve as a pillar of Pakistan’s tax governance framework, advancing transparency, safeguarding the rights of taxpayers, and fostering a more responsive and accountable tax administration.
According to official notifications issued by the Federal Tax Ombudsman Secretariat, the appointments have been made under Section 18 of the Federal Tax Ombudsman Ordinance, 2000, with Regional Advisory Committees constituted for Balochistan, lslamabad/Rawalpindi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh.
The members have been drawn on the recommendations of concerned chambers of commerce and industry, tax bar associations, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP), the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan (ICMA), women’s chambers, and representatives of the legal practice and tax consultancy sectors.
In Balochistan, the committee includes Muhammad Ayub Khan Maryani, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Quetta; Munir Maher, General Secretary of the Balochistan Tax Bar Association; Shahab Qadir, Council Member of ICAP Quetta; and Muhammad Muneeb, CEO of Aaims Consultants and associated with ICMA.
For Islamabad/Rawalpindi, the appointed members include Mian Muhammad Ramzan, Chairman of the FBR Committee of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Usman Shaukat, President of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Faraz Fazal Shaikh, Advocate High Court and member of the Islamabad/Rawalpindi Tax Bar Association; Jehan Zeb Amin, Vice President and Council Member of ICAP; and Samina Fazil, President of the Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The move reflects the Ombudsman’s continued commitment to institutional accountability, positioning the office not merely as a redressal forum for taxpayer grievances, but as an active participant in shaping a more consultative and transparent tax governance ecosystem – one that draws upon the collective experience of practitioners across multiple professional domains to strengthen the administration of tax justice in Pakistan.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the committee comprises Sajjad Zaheer, Executive Committee Member of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Mushtaq Ahmad, President of the Peshawar Tax Bar Association; Saif Ullah, former President of ICAP; Sheraz Khan, Manager Finance at WSSP Peshawar and associated with ICMA; and Quratulain, President of the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry Peshawar.
For Punjab, the FTO has appointed Tanveer Ahmed Sheikh, Senior Vice President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Qamar-uz-Zaman, Advocate High Court and member of the Lahore Tax Bar Association; Zeeshan Ijaz, Council Member of ICAP Lahore; Zia Ul Mustafa Awan, President of ICMA; and Sahar Malik, former President of the Lahore Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
In Sindh, the committee includes Abu Bakar Siddique Ahmed Shamsi, Executive Committee Member and Chairman of the Federal Taxation Sub-Committee of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Muhammad Mehmood Bikiya, President of the Karachi Tax Bar Association; Ahmed Raza, Vice President of ICAP Karachi; and Shams Mohiuddin Ansari, tax and corporate law consultant associated with ICMA.
The committees will function as consultative forums for stakeholder engagement, advising the FTO on matters relating to its role and functions. Their mandate includes identifying systemic and recurring issues in tax administration, highlighting practical difficulties faced by taxpayers and practitioners, strengthening institutional responsiveness, and improving public confidence in the FTO. Meetings will ordinarily be held on a biannual basis, or as convened by the FTO from time to time.
The initiative gives the FTO a direct channel to receive field-based input from professionals who engage with taxpayers, businesses, tax litigation, accounting standards and compliance issues on a regular basis. Advisor Legal at Headquarters Almas Ali Jovindah has been appointed as coordinator for the advisory committees.
