PM Shehbaz orders inquiry into failure of FBR track and trace system

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has ordered an inquiry into failure of FBR track and trace system, sources said.

An inquiry committee to be headed by Senior Bureaucrat Imdad Ullah has been constituted.

The committee will also determine the reasons for the failure to integrate the tracking system throughout the supply chain.

The TTS was implemented by a consortium through bidding by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). It was initially implemented in 2021 in the cigarette industry, followed by the sugar, cement, and fertiliser sectors.

The sources also noted issues between the project directors and the consortium, particularly disagreements over the concessions granted for importing necessary equipment and discrepancies in setting up the plants compared to the initial designs proposed by the consortium.

Meanwhile, the earlier committee led by Tariq Bajwa, in its report, did not find any wrongdoing in awarding the contract.

However, it proposed that the FBR establish a dedicated enforcement force for the Track and Trace project to enhance its effectiveness.

That committee also recommended that the government notify the supervisory committee, to be chaired by the prime minister or the finance ministry, to oversee the entire project implementation. It said the supervisory body should be empowered to take action against stakeholders for delays.