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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has operationalized its newly established Tax Policy Office (TPO) by appointing senior tax expert Dr. Najeeb Ahmed Memon as its first Director General, the government has said, marking a major structural reform separating tax policy from tax administration.

The step fulfills a commitment under Pakistan’s ongoing IMF program, which required shifting tax policy formulation out of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to address long-standing concerns that the same institution should not design taxes and collect them. The TPO will function under the Finance Division, while the FBR will now serve solely as a tax collection authority.

“The TPO will lend support to the analysis of tax policies and proposals through data modeling, revenue and economic forecasting as well as the country’s international tax treaties and obligations,” the notification for the Tax Policy Office said.

“The responsibilities and structure of the TPO may be amended as deemed necessary for its optimal functioning with the approval of the Federal Cabinet.”

The office will report directly to the Finance Minister, and will lead budget-related tax policy preparations beginning with the 2026-27 federal budget.

The TPO was first notified in February 2025, but had remained dormant until the appointment of its leadership. Officials said rules, staffing procedures and operational protocols will be finalized in the coming weeks.

Dr. Memon, who has over two decades of experience in tax law, policy design and international taxation, has previously worked with the World Bank, GIZ, HM Revenue & Customs, and Tax Inspectors Without Borders.

Besides Memon, several directors have also been appointed under a special professional pay scale for business taxation, international taxation, direct and indirect taxation, and personal taxation.

The separation of tax policy and tax collection has been a long-standing structural benchmark in Pakistan’s IMF programs aimed at improving revenue-raising capacity, widening the tax base, and reducing discretionary exemptions.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bangladesh have signaled a gradual easing of tensions as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza held meetings with senior civilian and military leadership in Dhaka to discuss defense and security cooperation, Pakistan’s military said on Monday.

Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but they split in 1971 after a bloody civil war, which saw the part previously referred to as East Pakistan seceding to form the independent nation of Bangladesh.

In the years since, Bangladeshi leaders, particularly former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, chose to maintain close ties with India, Pakistan’s arch-rival. Ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh have warmed up since Hasina’s ouster as a result of a student-led uprising in August 2024, with both sides cautiously reopening diplomatic channels. 

In January, Bangladesh’s Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division, Lt. Gen. S. M. Kamr-ul-Hassan, undertook a rare multi-day visit to Pakistan. In August, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Dhaka for official talks. Mirza’s visit marks the latest in this sequence of renewed high-level contacts.

“Both sides held detailed discussion on the evolving global and regional environment and security situation and recognized the importance of strengthening bilateral defense and security cooperation,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. 

“The Chairman JCSC reaffirmed Pakistan’s appreciation for its longstanding fraternal ties with Bangladesh and highlighted the shared resolve to further deepen these relations on the basis of sovereign equality and mutual respect,” the statement added.

“Both sides expressed optimism about improving defense and security collaboration and reaffirmed their commitment to expanding military-to-military engagements and related initiatives.”

Mirza also visited the School of Infantry and Tactics in Sylhet, interacting with faculty and students. According to ISPR, Bangladesh’s civil-military leadership “appreciated the high professional standards of Pakistan Armed Forces and their achievements and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.”

Earlier, at Senakunjo, General Mirza received a Guard of Honour and laid a wreath at Shikha Anirban, the national memorial honoring Bangladesh’s war martyrs.

This February, Bangladesh resumed direct trade with Pakistan for the first time since its independence in 1971, with the first shipment of 50,000 tons of rice leaving Port Qasim under a government-to-government deal.