ISLAMABAD: Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique on Thursday asked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore to defer questioning him in a housing scam due to a scheduled meeting with the Chinese ambassador.
NAB Lahore had summoned the federal minister and his brother, provincial minister Khawaja Salman Rafique, regarding the corruption case in private housing scheme reportedly owned by them in Lahore.
Rafique stated that he had received the NAB summons on Wednesday. “I am currently in Islamabad and busy with official work. I have to meet the Chinese ambassador as well,” he said, adding that he has sent a letter to the NAB asking to change the date.
“I am willing to cooperate with NAB and provide them all the details. I will submit a reply to all the questions asked by the accountability bureau.” He also added that he has been summoned in the investigation for Paragon Housing Society.
The federal minister maintained his earlier allegations and said the whole process was set to upset and target people. “The accountability process has never been transparent in Pakistan. People continue to be targeted under the name of accountability”, he said.
He further stated that he did not believe in this ‘black law’ of the NAB. “I will still appear before NAB despite not believing in its black law.”
NAB has been investigating the corruption cases against government officials in the province.
Lahore Development Authority’s (LDA) former Director General Ahad Cheema was suspended by the government of Punjab on March 17. He was arrested on February 21 in a case related to Ashiana-e-Iqbal housing project.
Cheema was arrested for charges of misusing his authority and with criminal intent, to give a contract of the Ashiana-e-Iqbal housing project of approximately Rs 14 billion to Lahore Casa Developers — a joint-venture which could not have been awarded a contract.