BRA recruitment: 21 selected on merit from 468 candidates, says Abdullah Khan Nurzai

QUETTA: Balochistan Revenue Authority Chairperson Abdullah Khan Nurzai has said that recruitment and appointments in the authority have been carried out fully in line with the principles of merit, transparency and justice, under the vision of Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Sarfraz Bugti. He said the inclusion of highly educated and talented human resources would help make the tax collection system more effective, modern and transparent.

He said inspectors, tax auditors, surveyors, IT officers and other staff for the technical side of the authority were appointed on merit. He said the policy of the Balochistan government, and especially of Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, is clear: government jobs should be given only to eligible candidates through merit and a transparent procedure.

468 candidates, 72 interviews, 21 selected

Abdullah Khan Nurzai said a written test was held through the Higher Education Commission to assess candidates’ eligibility. In all, 468 candidates took part. Seventy-two candidates who obtained the required qualifying marks were declared eligible for interviews, while 21 candidates were selected in the final stage purely on merit. Two of them did not join, while 19 selected officers were handed their appointment letters by the Chief Minister Balochistan in person.

According to departmental details, the recruitment of tax inspectors, tax auditors, surveyors and IT officers had the full support of Provincial Finance Minister Mir Shoaib Nausherwani and Chief Secretary Balochistan Shakeel Qadir Khan. To ensure a competitive and transparent process, the written test was held independently through the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

The chairperson said the selected candidates are experts in economics, statistics, law, information technology and other related fields. He said their inclusion would raise the authority’s professional capacity and bring the tax collection system in line with modern requirements. He said the new officers are expected to bring a marked improvement in the authority’s administrative, field and operational capacity, which would increase the province’s own revenue.

Widening the tax net and digitisation

He said the Chief Minister’s ceremony to distribute certificates to encourage the new officers is a clear expression of the government’s merit-based policy and its trust in talented young people. He said tax is the foundation of any economic system, and better tax collection makes more resources available for fair distribution, public welfare projects and development work.

According to Abdullah Khan Nurzai, the authority is striving to widen the tax net, bring all taxable business activities and services into the tax system, give better facilities to taxpayers, and make the revenue system more effective, transparent and people-friendly. He said good governance, merit-based recruitment and digitisation are central to the reforms.

He praised the support and guidance of Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Sarfraz Bugti, Provincial Finance Minister Mir Shoaib Nausherwani, Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan and the Finance Secretary for the reforms. He expressed the resolve that, through reforms, digitisation and merit-based human resources, the authority would play a key role in the near future in increasing the province’s revenue, achieving economic stability and driving development. He said only a strong revenue system can become the basis for better facilities, more opportunities for development and lasting economic prosperity for the people.

Photo: courtesy DGPR Balochistan