LAHORE – The National Accountability Bureau has launched an investigation into a mega land scam involving Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique’s Paragon Housing Society in Lahore and the Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC).
The accountability watchdog has written to the PLDC to submit record regarding its projects, Ashiana Iqbal Lahore, for which an agreement was signed between the PLDC and M/s Anhui Construction Engineering Group owned by Director Paragon Exchange Ali Sajjad, M/s Bismillah Engineering Company owned by chief executive of Paragon City Nadeem Zia and M/s Sparco Group.
In the letter, NAB also summoned a PLDC officer concerned to its Lahore office on Wednesday along with copies of contract agreements and all other relevant files of the projects.
‘The status of the land which was rendered at the disposal of these firms for construction of quarters/houses should also be provided,’ the bureau said.
According to highly placed sources, the NAB has sprung into action after receiving a number of complaints regarding an ‘illegal deal’ involving 3,000 kanal government land between the PLDC and the said companies involving bigwigs of Paragon group.
‘The PLDC a few years ago had signed an agreement with Bismillah Engineering and Sparco (front companies of Paragon Housing Society) for construction of 6,700 apartments on 1,000 kanals. In lieu of this construction, some 2,000 kanals were to be given to these two companies,’ an official source said on the condition of anonymity.
The official continued that these companies were to be given land corresponding to their construction work whereas the entire piece of land was given to these companies without getting any construction work done.
According to the Land Disposal Act, a land measuring beyond five marla cannot be sold without auction, Dawn News reported.
The Colonies Department of Punjab government had also specifically mentioned that if this land was not utilised for the said scheme (Ashiana Iqbal) it would be surrendered back to the department because the government owned land could not be used for any other purpose.
Saad is a major stakeholder in the Paragon Housing Society and owns a considerable amount of land in the society.
