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Officials and employees of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) observed a pen-down strike on Wednesday as part of their three-day protest against a newly issued ordinance that abolished the Internal Resources Division (IRD) and split the NBR into two separate entities.
Officials stayed in their offices on the first day of the protest but did not perform any official work from 10am to 1pm.
The strike was observed across all customs houses, customs stations, VAT commissionerates, and tax regions nationwide, said NBR officials.
However, activities related to the formulation of the national budget for the next fiscal year, services for international passengers, and export operations continued as usual, as previously announced.
During a visit to the NBR building, officials and employees across different floors were found idle, engaged in casual conversations rather than work. Service seekers left empty-handed as no assistance was available.
Anticipating the situation, many people avoided the building altogether. The usual commotion was missing - no hurried footsteps, no files passed around, and no signs of routine administrative activity.
The NBR Reform Alliance announced the protest on Tuesday. Its leaders warned of tougher programmes if their demands are not addressed during the ongoing strike.
In a statement, the platform said it welcomes reforms in the NBR but criticised the government for issuing the ordinance without publicly disclosing the report of the NBR Reform Advisory Committee, calling the move "unjustified".
"Our strike will continue for three days. If our demands remain unmet, we will hold further discussions and announce the next course of action," the statement said, adding that no response has yet been received from the government. The alliance in a press release expressed gratitude to officials and employees for their participation in the strike and also apologised for the temporary inconveniences caused to taxpayers and service recipients.
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