ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s tax authority, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), has informed lawmakers that some of its own employees were involved in a recent leak of confidential taxpayer information. The disclosure was made during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication on Wednesday, raising concerns about data security within the country’s tax system.
During the briefing, officials from Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL), the technology arm of FBR, revealed that multiple data breach incidents have occurred in recent years. According to officials, personal data of nearly 120,000 individuals was leaked in 2024, while a more recent incident exposed the information of 79 taxpayers.
FBR representatives explained that whenever such breaches are detected, the cases are immediately reported to the National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT) for investigation and response.
Officials further told the committee that the latest data breach originated from the FBR’s Karachi office, where some employees allegedly accessed sensitive taxpayer records using their official login credentials and shared them with unauthorized individuals. The matter was later reported to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which arrested the employees involved.
Lawmakers expressed serious concerns about accountability within the tax authority. Senator Kamran Murtaza asked whether formal cases had been registered against the officials responsible for leaking the data. Meanwhile, Senator Talha Mahmood questioned why stricter action had not been taken in previous data leak incidents and alleged that some influential figures in the IT department had escaped accountability.
Committee members stressed the need for stronger cybersecurity measures, improved monitoring systems, and stricter oversight to prevent further breaches of confidential taxpayer data in the future.
