FBR and LUMS Partner on Customised Postgraduate Diploma for Officers

On September 22, 2025, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) entered into an agreement with the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) to jointly design and deliver a specialised Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) Programme for its officers.

The programme, to be led by Associate Professor at the Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB), Dr. Syed Aun Raza Rizvi, marks a significant step in FBR’s capacity-building efforts. It will focus on developing professional expertise in modern tax administration, particularly in areas of digitalisation, data analytics, and advanced revenue practices.

The signing ceremony was presided over by FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial, who praised the collaboration between FBR and LUMS in creating a rigorous and tailored learning experience. He emphasised that the initiative will better prepare officers to respond to emerging challenges in taxation and trade facilitation. The event was attended by Members of the FBR Board, senior officials, Director Generals of the Inland Revenue and Customs Academies, as well as officers from the Transformation Delivery Unit (TDU).

Representing LUMS, Provost Dr. Tariq Jadoon and Dean of SDSB, Dr. Adeel Zaffar, reaffirmed the university’s commitment to ensuring the success of the programme. Dr. Zaffar highlighted that the collaboration was deeply in line with SDSB's broader ambition to shape society by creating knowledge, fostering partnerships, and drive meaningful impact. 

Earlier in the ceremony, Member (Administration/HR), Mohammad Iqbal, highlighted the programme’s key focus areas, including advanced accounting, international taxation, e-commerce, trade analytics, supply chain management, and the digital economy. The diploma is a cornerstone initiative under FBR’s broader Transformation Plan, which seeks to modernise Pakistan’s tax administration by enhancing operational capacity, strengthening institutional expertise, and embedding digital tools across revenue functions.

This agreement builds upon the foundations of a previous collaboration between FBR and LUMS’ Technology for People Initiative (TPI) in 2024. That partnership introduced machine learning and data analytics into customs operations, strengthening the Customs Risk Management System at FBR and laying the groundwork for the development of the National Targeting Centre (NTC). Building on that success, SDSB now leads this wider academic collaboration.

The inaugural cohort of 51 probationary FBR officers under this agreement will begin classes on October 20, 2025. As the first-of-its-kind programme in Pakistan, the PGD aims to provide globally benchmarked training that will enable officers to adopt innovative approaches to taxation and revenue administration.