{"id":44935,"date":"2025-04-12T13:57:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-12T13:57:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/?p=44935"},"modified":"2025-04-12T13:57:54","modified_gmt":"2025-04-12T13:57:54","slug":"pakistan-launches-first-ever-diplomatic-grievance-redressal-cell-at-the-fto-secretariat-in-islamabad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-launches-first-ever-diplomatic-grievance-redressal-cell-at-the-fto-secretariat-in-islamabad\/","title":{"rendered":"Pakistan Launches First Ever \u201cDiplomatic Grievance Redressal Cell\u201d at the FTO Secretariat in Islamabad"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-44938\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/diplomatic-Tax.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/diplomatic-Tax.jpg 500w, https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/diplomatic-Tax-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/>FTO Hosts Seminar to Empower Diplomatic Community on Tax Redressal Mechanisms<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Islamabad: April 11, 2025 &#8211; In a landmark initiative, the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) of Pakistan has launched the first-ever \u201cDiplomatic Grievance Redressal Cell\u201d at the FTO Secretariat in Islamabad.<\/p>\n<p>This historic step follows the successful establishment of the Overseas Pakistanis Grievance Redressal Cell (OPGRC) and aims to provide a dedicated platform for diplomats to address issues related to tax maladministration by Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials.<\/p>\n<p>The formal inauguration of the Diplomatic Grievance Redressal Cell took place on April 11, 2025, at the FTO Secretariat. The event was hosted by Mr. Almas Ali Jovindah, Head of Overseas and Diplomatic Grievance cell , Legal &amp; Media Advisor to the Federal Tax Ombudsman and Executive Secretary of the Forum of Pakistan Ombudsman and OIC Ombudsman Association.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"OrVq0La1QN\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/diplomatic-community-of-islamabad-enclave-gets-12-services-under-one-roof-cascade-inaugurated-by-interior-minister\/\">Diplomatic Community of Islamabad Enclave Gets 12 Services Under One Roof @ CASCADE inaugurated by Interior Minister<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Diplomatic Community of Islamabad Enclave Gets 12 Services Under One Roof @ CASCADE inaugurated by Interior Minister&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/diplomatic-community-of-islamabad-enclave-gets-12-services-under-one-roof-cascade-inaugurated-by-interior-minister\/embed\/#?secret=L6OVAyv3pr#?secret=OrVq0La1QN\" data-secret=\"OrVq0La1QN\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The session was headed by panelists Including Dr. Jah Federal Tax Ombudsman, Advisor Customs Dr. Arslan Subuctageen and Registrar ,Mr. Muhammad Khalid Javed<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Asif Mahmood Jah, Hon\u2019ble Federal Tax Ombudsman, was the chief guest and keynote speaker. In his welcome address, Dr. Jah emphasized his longstanding commitment to facilitating diplomats and overseas Pakistanis, both during his tenure in customs and now as the Federal Tax Ombudsman.<\/p>\n<p>He highlighted the increasing number of complaints from embassies and stressed that the new cell would provide a transparent and efficient platform to address these issues.The event witnessed participation from various embassies and international missions, including:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"IQRYe9IMkF\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-march-2025\/\">Pakistan in the World \u2013 March 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Pakistan in the World \u2013 March 2025&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-march-2025\/embed\/#?secret=vaHC55IW7y#?secret=IQRYe9IMkF\" data-secret=\"IQRYe9IMkF\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u2022 Austrian Embassy: Michael Hofbauer, Muhammad Ashraf Khan<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em>\u2022 Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Adnan Hayat, Petra de Koster<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em>\u2022 Australian High Commission: Akemi Inoue<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em>\u2022 Embassy of Greece: Eleni Papakonstantinou<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em>\u2022 Embassy of Switzerland: Ali Jaffari, Younes Khan, Ajwat Arslan Khan<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em>\u2022 Embassy of Germany: Christian Becker, Asif Iqbal<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em>\u2022 EU Delegation: Imran Haider, Raja Naseem Ur Rehman, Andre Koenigs<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em>\u2022 Embassy of Poland: Artur Wachowiak<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mr. Almas Ali Jovindah gave an insightful presentation on the evolution of the Ombudsman institution\u2014tracing its roots to Caliph Omar (R.A.), institutionalization by King Charles XII of Sweden in 1713, and its modern form established in 1809. Today, ombudsman institutions operate in over 140 countries.<\/p>\n<p>He elaborated that the Diplomatic Grievance Redressal Cell is a dedicated mechanism to resolve tax-related grievances of diplomatic missions and international organizations. The initiative aims to:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2022 Promote trust and confidence within the diplomatic community<\/em><br \/>\n<em>\u2022 Enhance transparency in grievance redressal<\/em><br \/>\n<em>\u2022 Provide dedicated liaison officers, ensure prioritized resolutions, and offer transparent updates<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"VoCtEpWV2D\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-october-2024\/\">Pakistan in the World \u2013 October 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Pakistan in the World \u2013 October 2024&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-october-2024\/embed\/#?secret=tQTyL37kLc#?secret=VoCtEpWV2D\" data-secret=\"VoCtEpWV2D\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dr. Arslan Subuctageen, Advisor Customs, outlined provisions under the Customs Act allowing diplomats to import up to two duty-free vehicles, with conditions:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>\u2022 First vehicle is duty-free for personal use<\/em><br \/>\n<em>\u2022 Second vehicle is permitted if the spouse holds a diplomatic card in Pakistan<\/em><br \/>\n<em>\u2022 Disposal of either vehicle requires Ministry of Foreign Affairs approval<\/em><br \/>\n<em>\u2022 Vehicles sold within two years attract full duties; beyond two years, 1% monthly depreciation (up to 50%) applies<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Mr. Muhammad Khalid Javed, FTO Registrar with extensive tax experience, explained:<\/em><br \/>\n<em>\u2022 Diplomats may avail zero-rated sales tax on goods\/services via STR-12 authorization<\/em><br \/>\n<em>\u2022 Minimum purchase of Rs. 10,000 and an exemption certificate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are required<\/em><br \/>\n<em>\u2022 In cases of mistaken tax payment, refund claims can be routed through the Ministry<\/em><br \/>\n<em>\u2022 Under the Federal Excise Act, 2005, diplomats are conditionally exempt from FED on imports, subject to relevant compliance<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The event concluded with a Q&amp;A session. Diplomats were invited to submit queries in writing. Participants were also provided with FTO\u2019s newly published \u201cManual on Taxpayers\u2019 Rights.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Jovindah expressed gratitude to all attendees and reaffirmed FTO&#8217;s commitment to resolving diplomatic grievances efficiently. Participation certificates were distributed among attendees.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dr. Jah, Hon\u2019ble FTO closed the session with a call to action:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe encourage all diplomats to approach us with their grievances. We are committed to protecting your rights and ensuring that no harassment by tax authorities goes unresolved.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"LA3ZOZRhtX\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-nov-dec-2022\/\">Pakistan in the World &#8211; Nov\/Dec\u00a02022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Pakistan in the World &#8211; Nov\/Dec\u00a02022&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-nov-dec-2022\/embed\/#?secret=XGqTWwbHJ3#?secret=LA3ZOZRhtX\" data-secret=\"LA3ZOZRhtX\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FTO Hosts Seminar to Empower Diplomatic Community on Tax Redressal Mechanisms Islamabad: April 11, 2025 &#8211; In a landmark initiative, the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) of Pakistan has launched the first-ever \u201cDiplomatic Grievance Redressal Cell\u201d at the FTO Secretariat in Islamabad. This historic step follows the successful establishment of the Overseas Pakistanis Grievance Redressal Cell [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44938,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[93],"tags":[3983,3426,1294,3353,808,6992,251,48,6993,809],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44935"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44935"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44940,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44935\/revisions\/44940"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}