Former FBR Chairman Wants to Shift Capital From Islamabad

Former Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman Shabbar Zaidi has proposed shifting Pakistan’s capital from Islamabad to Lahore, calling for a “reset” of the country’s political and administrative setup. Speaking at the launch of his autobiography “32 Anker Road” in Lahore, Zaidi acknowledged that he failed to bring about major reforms at the FBR, despite his best efforts. He also called for a ban on religious political parties, arguing that Lahore, once a hub of progressive thought, nationalists, and liberals. had lost its intellectual and cultural diversity over time. During the event, several speakers praised Zaidi’s candid account of Pakistan’s economic and social challenges, describing his book as the work of an honest and outspoken professional. Veteran journalist Husain Naqi said that the prospects for democracy in Pakistan had grown dim, while former State Bank governor and Punjab’s ex-finance minister Shahid Hafeez Kardar blamed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for many of the country’s structural problems. Kardar said that meaningful tax and governance reforms were urgently needed to address deep-rooted inefficiencies in the FBR. Zaidi’s comments about relocating the capital have stirred debate among economists and political observers. Islamabad has been the seat of government since the 1960s, when it replaced Karachi as the capital. Moving the capital again would require massive administrative, financial, and legal changes, making the proposal more symbolic than practical. However, analysts view Zaidi’s statement as a reflection of growing frustration with centralization and bureaucratic inertia, particularly in the federal setup. Lahore, Pakistan’s cultural and historical center, continues to be a hub for business, academia, and political discourse, making it a natural focal point for such debates.