News Desk |
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that the Indian forces are doing ethnic cleansing in occupied Kashmir, urging Pakistan should render more support to Kashmiris.
The PML-N leader, who is currently in custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), said that Pakistan should support Kashmir cause at every forum. He along with his brother, who is also in NAB custody, was talking to media after the authorities brought them before an accountability court hearing the Paragon Housing scandal case against them.
During his media talk, Rafique said that the economy of the country was taking its last breath while the government was busy in revenge actions against the opposition leaders.
The reference stated that the Khwaja brothers through their “benamidars” and with the alleged abetment of former MPA Qaiser Amin Butt and Nadeem Zia established the housing project.
Khawaja Saad, Salman and Nadeem Zia have been named in the case on charges of obtaining financial benefits by embezzling funds of Paragon City. During the hearing, the anti-graft body claimed that Paragon Housing Society is illegal because no NOC had been granted for the society.
LHC Dismisses Saad Rafique’s Post-arrest Bail
On December 11, 2018, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had dismissed post-arrest bail of the PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique.
Subsequently, NAB had arrested Saad Rafique and his brother from the LHC premises after the high court had dismissed their request for an extension in the pre-arrest bail in corruption cases.
NAB, while revealing grounds for their arrest had stated that Khawaja brothers had started a housing project named Air Avenue – which was later on changed into Paragon City Limited. NAB has maintained that the record showed that it was an illegal housing society.
The anti-graft body has accused Khawaja brothers and others of defrauding members of society. NAB has maintained that the accused also embezzled the illegal housing society projects funds for personal gains, adding that the accused were collecting heavy amounts despite clear restrictions from the Lahore Development Authority (LDA).
Read more: Khawaja Saad Rafique’s direct link emerges with Paragon City Society
NAB has named Khawaja brothers as the main suspects in the corruption reference filed earlier this year. NAB has accused Khawaja brothers of wrongfully gaining approximately Rs18.2 million from M/s Paragon City (Pvt) Limited in their bank accounts and they failed to account for the illegal gains.
NAB Files Reference against Khawaja Brothers, others
On May 31, NAB filed a reference in an accountability court against the former railways’ minister Khwaja Saad Rafiq, his brother former provincial minister Salman Rafiq and three others in the Paragon City scam.
While accusing the Khawaja brothers of wrongfully gaining approximately Rs18.2 million from M/s Paragon City (Pvt) Limited, the reference said, Khwaja Saad in order to achieve his nefarious designs and to disguise origin of his illegitimate pecuniary benefits established a proprietorship concern namely M/s Saadan Associates whereby he wrongfully gained an amount of Rs58 million from M/s Executive Builders, a proxy of Paragon City, in last few years under the garb of services of consultancy.
Read more: Noose tightening around Khawaja brothers: Qaiser Butt arrested by NAB
Similarly, the bureau accused Khwaja Salman of same corrupt practice by establishing M/s KSR Associates and receiving Rs39 million from the M/s Executive Builders under the garb of consultancy services. Other accused – Nadeem Zia, Umar Zia and Farhan Ali – allegedly owned the Paragon City.
The reference stated that the Khwaja brothers through their “benamidars” and with the alleged abetment of former MPA Qaiser Amin Butt and Nadeem Zia established the housing project.