ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Heritage and Culture Division, chaired by Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar raised concerns after the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) informed lawmakers that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had deducted more than Rs2 billion in taxes from the board’s account by treating it as a business entity, despite its status as a government body.
The committee decided to summon the FBR chairman for an in-camera discussion at its next meeting, which will be held in Karachi.
The chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board told the committee that the tax deduction had been made by categorising ETPB as a corporate entity. Committee members expressed concern and agreed to seek clarification directly from the tax authority.
Separately, the committee was informed that construction of the boundary wall of Gurdwara Nanak Sar in Tehsil Daska would be completed within two weeks. It directed ETPB officials to consult Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee on the restoration of the gurdwara.
The committee approved the minutes of its previous meeting and reviewed compliance on earlier recommendations. On engagement with the family of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the Director of the Iqbal Academy Pakistan said an interview with Mian Iqbal Salahuddin had been recorded and was being transcribed, while other family members were also being contacted. The committee recommended arranging a future session with Iqbal’s family in Lahore.
On the proposed National Museum of Pakistan in Islamabad, the secretary of the National Heritage and Culture Division said 8.33 acres of land at Shakarparian had been allotted to the Department of Archaeology and Museums, with the process of taking possession from the CDA underway. The committee recommended that funds for the project be allocated in the federal budget for 2026–27.
The committee also considered the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and unanimously approved the proposed amendments, recommending that the bill be passed by the National Assembly.
