Pakistan
“I don’t see the Fellows through a political overlay. I see them as human beings, as other people working towards evolution, working towards growth.” – Zehra Farooq (Pakistan 2017)
Zehra Farooq’s goal is to use tax policy to improve the lives of the poor. She is a Deputy Commissioner with the Federal Board of Revenue of Pakistan, where she aspires to transform the country’s tax programs to simultaneously improve economic performance and living conditions of those being left behind. With her fellowship recently concluded, she is currently preparing a policy proposal that will mandate tax collection in a country where all too often people don’t pay. With proper enforcement, she said, there will be enough money to help everyone, including the poor.
Apart from the knowledge imparted by meeting with experts throughout the U.S., one of Farooq’s major takeaways from her fellowship was the introduction to a network of like-minded Fellows from around the region who share her vision for a better world. She looks forward to ongoing cooperation and collaboration in efforts to seek peace and justice.