ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has dismissed a Customs inspector from service after disciplinary proceedings established that she remained absent from duty for an extended period without sanctioned leave.
Ms Lamia Iqbal, Inspector Customs (BS-16), Directorate of Transit Trade (Headquarters), Karachi, was awarded the major penalty of dismissal from service under the Civil Servants (Efficiency & Discipline) Rules, 2020.
Disciplinary proceedings were initiated against the officer on allegations of misconduct relating to unauthorised absence from duty. An Order of Inquiry, Charge Sheet and Statement of Allegations were served on her on February 12, 2026.
Ms Noor-ul-Huda Mallick, Deputy Collector (PCS/BS-18), was appointed as the Inquiry Officer. In her inquiry report dated April 15, 2026, she established the charge of misconduct and recommended a major penalty of reduction to a lower post and pay scale for two years.
FBR Finds Prolonged Absence Established
Following the inquiry report, the FBR served a show-cause notice on the officer on May 14, 2026. She submitted her written defence on June 8 and requested a personal hearing.
The hearing was subsequently conducted through video link on July 30, 2026, in the presence of the accused officer and the departmental representative.
During the proceedings, the departmental representative said the officer had demonstrated a pattern of unauthorised absence and showed limited inclination towards performing her official responsibilities since joining Pakistan Customs in April 2023.
The department stated that the officer had applied on September 3, 2025 for 365 days of extraordinary leave (EOL) without pay. However, she remained absent from duty from September 4, 2025 onwards without the leave having been sanctioned.
The officer acknowledged during the hearing that she had not attended office since submitting the leave application.
She explained that her husband, who was serving as a Preventive Officer in Pakistan Customs, had been transferred from Karachi to Quetta, making it difficult for her to remain in Karachi alone with their infant child.
She requested that her application for 365 days of EOL, covering the period up to September 3, 2026, be considered favourably.
Previous Warnings Also Cited
The FBR authority observed that the charge of unauthorised absence from September 4, 2025 onwards was fully established through official records and had also been admitted by the officer.
The authority further noted evidence of repeated unauthorised absences during 2023 and 2024. This included a formal warning issued on February 13, 2024, an explanation letter dated March 13, 2024, and several WhatsApp messages sent to the officer concerning her attendance.
The authority rejected the officer’s explanation that she was unable to remain in Karachi following her husband’s transfer to Quetta.
It observed that neither the officer nor her husband had applied for a transfer or posting at the same station under the wedlock policy during the preceding year.
FBR Replaces Recommended Penalty with Dismissal
The competent authority concluded that the penalty recommended by the Inquiry Officer was not commensurate with the seriousness of the established charges.
It also noted that the recommended penalty of reduction to a lower post and pay scale could not legally be imposed on the officer, who had been directly recruited in BS-16, in light of a Supreme Court judgment reported as 2009 SCMR 412 and a recent Federal Service Tribunal judgment dated June 8, 2026.
Consequently, the Member (Administration/HR) and competent authority decided to impose the major penalty of dismissal from service with immediate effect.
The period of unauthorised absence up to the date of the order has been treated as extraordinary leave without pay under the applicable rules.
Ms Lamia Iqbal has the right to appeal against the decision before the Appellate Authority under the Civil Servants (Appeals) Rules, 1977 within 30 days of communication of the order.
