LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique in connection with an investigation into the Paragon Housing scheme in Lahore.
According to sources, NAB summoned the minister to appear before the investigation team on Wednesday (March 28). Moreover, the anti-corruption watchdog also summoned Rafique’s younger brother Khawaja Saad Rafique on Thursday (March 29). Criticising the NAB, Saad said that NAB was following black laws.
“We have always considered it black law and even though we don’t adhere to this law we are still ready to appear before the bureau and submit all details,” he said in a TV interview. He had stated that whether it has been PML-N’s tenure or someone else’s, there has never been transparency and the officials who were hired during General Pervez Musharraf’s tenure are sitting in NAB, so it is clear to see who is being targeted and questioned.
“The accountability process has never been transparent in Pakistan. People continue to be targeted under the name of accountability,” he said, adding that he was still ready to appear before NAB despite not believing in its black law. Earlier, NAB confiscated several laptops and document files during a raid at the housing scheme office.
The raid was conducted in relation to the ongoing investigation against alleged mega corruption and irregularities in the Ashiana Housing Scheme. The NAB has expanded its investigation of the Ashiana and LDA City projects after arresting former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director general Ahad Cheema and Bismillah Engineering Company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shahid Siddique.