LAHORE:  Immigration authorities on Friday blocked the passports of former Railways minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother Salman Rafique.

The National Accountabilty Bureau (NAB) as part of its investigation into the Paragon City corruption scandal had written to the passport and immigration directorate regarding blocking of the passports.

Earlier, the Islamabad High Court rejected application requesting for a safeguarding bail for Khawaja Saad Rafique and Salman Rafique.

A two-member IHC bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani heard the plea and ordered the candidate to approach the Lahore High Court (LHC) in this regard.

The candidate had requested the court to order NAB to provide details of inquiries to him and bar authorities from arresting the PML-N leader till conclusion of by-polls scheduled to be held on October 14. Pakistan’s recorded history is full of revenge proceedings. The  Kh Saad was served with a call up notice to which a reply was submitted along with documents. The candidate has appeared before NAB under personal extent. The candidate has neither served as director nor holds shares in Paragon City, said the petition.

In November 2017, NAB launched its investigation into a mega land scam relate then Railways minister Khawaja Saad Rafique’s Paragon Housing Society in Lahore and the Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC).

The bureau had decided to admit probe into the matters of Saad’s housing society after receiving a number of complaints regarding ‘illegal deal’ contain 3,000 kanals of government land between the PLDC and the said companies.

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