PM Shehbaz Sharif suspended the chief commissioner inland revenue Islamabad and other officers concerned and ordered an inquiry       Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gestures at an event. — Online/File

ISLAMABAD: Taking notice of deliberate delay in tax cases, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has suspended the chief commissioner inland revenue Islamabad and other officers concerned and ordered an inquiry.

The prime minister had taken notice of a request from the FBR lawyers to the court to delay the hearing of cases and ordered an immediate inquiry into the incident.

Shehbaz said tax cases of hundreds of billions of rupees were subject to legal disputes and he had requested the chief justice of Pakistan for their early disposal. Shehbaz maintained that he would not accept any kind of carelessness and negligence in this regard.

The prime minister said he was personally monitoring reforms in the tax system as per the promise made to the people, a statement issued by the PM media wing said.

“I will not tolerate any negligence in this connection,” he said and emphasized the need for working tirelessly to save every penny of the nation and increase the revenue.

APP adds: The prime minister Tuesday expressed the government’s desire to work together with the United Kingdom for promotion of higher education and improvement in the quality of education in Pakistan. The desire was expressed during a meeting with a delegation of representatives from the leading UK universities here at the PM House. The delegation was led by the UK’s International Education Champion Sir Steve Smith.

The prime minister welcomed the delegation and emphasized the importance of promoting quality education, saying that it was the top priority of the government. He expressed his commitment to ensuring that every child had access to education, and that the federal government was working with the provincial governments to achieve that goal.

The prime minister said as the Punjab chief minister he had established the Education Endowment Fund in the province, and a similar initiative would also be taken at the federal level.

He said the government was taking steps on an emergency basis for the development of the education sector.

The delegation expressed its interest in collaborating with the Pakistani universities and offered assistance in teacher training and capacity building.

The prime minister was informed by the delegation that the scope of Education Gateway Pakistan was being extended which would help enhance bilateral cooperation in the education sector.