Daily Times

LAHORE: Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique appeared before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore on Wednesday in an investigation pertaining to a housing scam.

A three-member team interrogated the federal minister in connection to a corruption probe into a private housing scheme reportedly owned by him in Lahore.

The accountability bureau summoned Rafique’s brother, provincial minister Khawaja Salman Rafique, tomorrow (Thursday).

During a press conference, the railways minister remarked that the slogan for accountability has been chanted for a different purpose.

He remarked that he had answered all questions of the NAB, adding that his stance on NAB had been the same since the first day.

“We have worked selflessly for the country’s benefit. Some forces are engaging in efforts to malign politicians,” he said.

“Only two months are left for the government to complete the tenure and I can assure that that I have taken my best efforts to improve the railways department,” he said.

Asking political leaders to stop name-calling, he said, “It’s not right to call each other thieves.”

“The country cannot progress till we accept the law and institutions,” he asserted.

The anti-corruption watchdog had initially summoned Rafique and his brother on March 22, but the railway minister had requested the accountability bureau to postpone the questioning.

“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,” the minister had earlier said. He added that he had been summoned in the probe into Paragon Housing Society.

He remarked that this was the ‘black law’ of the NAB and he did not believe in it. “I will still appear before NAB despite not believing in its black law.”

The anti-corruption body has been probing into corruption allegations against government officials in the province.

Published in Daily Times, March 29^th 2018.