LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has tightened the screw onKhawaja brothers over issue of corruption and corrupt practices.
NAB on Thursday initiated a probe into award of ‘precious’ railway land inLahore on lease by Railways Minister Khwaja Saad Rafique and also soughtexplanation from him in the ‘dubious’ land deal with the Paragon HousingSociety.
NAB’s Lahore chapter has sought an explanation from Mr Rafique and hisyounger brother Khwaja Salman Rafiq (Punjab health minister) regarding“exchange of their 50-kanal piece of land with ‘developed plots’ measuring40 kanal in Paragon Housing Society through an agreement.
“NAB has asked the Khwaja brothers to tell it a ‘formula’ under which theygot 40 kanal of developed plots (in Paragon) in exchange of a piece of rawland (in 2016),” a source told Dawn.
Terming the deal ‘dubious’ as such a practice is not a routine in landexchange matters, the NAB has not yet received a reply from the Khwajabrothers.
The land exchange in question had been made legally as it had already beenclarified by the railways minister in his presser. When asked whether theministers used their influence/connection to enter into this land dealbeneficial to them, the spokesman said: “This is not the case as they(ministers) are paying development charges of the land (they got inexchange in Paragon).”
He further said a reply in this regard had been submitted to the NAB.
Khwaja brothers’ claim of getting 40-kanal developed plots in return of the50 kanal raised doubts over the land deal.