Pakistan's federal government has assembled a four-member committee to scrutinize 24 private-sector tax tribunal members hired last year at monthly salaries of Rs2.6 million each, as the country's tax litigation backlog swells to roughly 68,000 pending cases. Main Developments The panel includes retired justices Athar Saeed and Tariq Abbasi, Telecommunication Appellate Tribunal Chairman and retired Inland Revenue Service officer Shad M. Khan, and chartered accountant Ghazi Akhtar Khan. Their task is evaluating the efficiency and conduct of the Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue members appointed under a 2024 recruitment framework offering market-based salaries, perks, and privileges. The committee will recommend whether the appointees should be retained, have their tenures extended, or be removed for inefficiency or misconduct. Despite the high-cost expansion, pending tax cases have continued rising, with official estimates showing tribunals dispose of about 1,000 cases monthly—a pace that would take five to six years to clear the existing clog, assuming no fresh appeals. Read also: Pakistan's Short-Term Inflation Hits 13% as Fuel Costs Bite Background The review follows a May 2026 report by a task force established by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to examine backlogs in superior courts and specialized tribunals. That report highlighted tax tribunal performance, prompting the government to order an independent assessment. Of the total pending cases, roughly 60,000 involve Inland Revenue Service matters and about 8,000 relate to customs disputes. Punjab accounts for nearly 76 percent of the pendency, with Lahore carrying the largest share. The Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue serves as the highest appellate forum for income tax, sales tax, and federal excise disputes after commissioner-level appeals. An existing mechanism already manages tax litigation: the Federal Board of Revenue's legal wing, with about 50 staff including a legal member, handles cases, while two chairmen oversee the tribunal's judicial and administrative functions. Why It Matters The evaluation carries significance because the tribunal's performance directly affects tax dispute resolution for businesses and individuals across Pakistan. A growing backlog reduces taxpayer confidence and delays revenue collection, while the high salary costs raise questions about value-for-money in public spending. The committee's findings could set a precedent for how future private-sector hires in government tribunals are assessed and retained. What's Next The committee will examine whether private-sector recruitment on market-based salaries has actually accelerated dispute disposal or whether administrative and operational shortcomings remain the primary bottleneck. Its recommendations will determine the fate of the 24 appointees and could influence broader tribunal reforms. No deadline for the committee's report has been announced.