Immigration department blacklists passports of Saad Rafique and his brother upon NAB's request
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The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports on Friday blocked the passports of former Railways minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother Khawaja Salman Rafique following an application filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in connection with its ongoing investigation into the Paragon Housing Scheme ‘corruption’ case.
With the approval given by the immigration department, the Rafique brothers along with their acquaintance Qaiser Amin Butt have been blacklisted under category 'B' for future passport facilities, which means that the trio "shall not be granted passport facilities without the approval of the directorate general".
On October 11, Saad and Salman had filed petitions in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking protective bail and legal protection against the alleged harassment at the hands of NAB. However, the petitions were turned down by the court that same day.
The counsel for Saad Rafique had informed the bench that the former minister had been served call-up notices regarding inquiries into different cases. He had requested the court to grant a 15-day protective bail to his client, citing the by-polls scheduled for October 14 in Saad's constituency.
But the bench questioned why the PML-N leader had not approached the Lahore High Court, which was the appropriate forum for him to seek protective bail, and turned down both petitions.
NAB had launched an investigation in November last year into a mega land scam involving Khwaja Saad Rafique’s Paragon Housing Society in Lahore and the Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC).
Saad Rafique maintains he had neither been director nor a shareholder of Paragon City Private Limited or ever had any say in its affairs.
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Comments (44) Closed
Oct 12, 2018 11:11pm
I know him from MAO college Lahore when he was a student in 1983 we were in a same college in a very short time he became a president of his party QSF he was a good speaker but dishonest and harmful person
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Oct 12, 2018 11:19pm
Accountability must be across the board. Black list all those who are guilty of cognizable offence or involved in anti-state activities. No one should be spared or should be above the law.
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Oct 12, 2018 11:28pm
Don’t worry. He is a ball of steel, he doesn’t need a passport!
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Oct 12, 2018 11:30pm
Passport is a basic right. What about Musharaff?
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Oct 12, 2018 11:32pm
Has anything proved against him so far? What about Musharraf? Just one day before the by-election! Political victimization is at the peak!
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Oct 12, 2018 11:33pm
Amazing, everybody talks about Saad involvement in paragon housing society since few years and yet he denies saying that neither he is a director nor had any say in their affairs. Great try Saad sahib.
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Oct 12, 2018 11:35pm
His photo reflects the fear of jail on his face.
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Oct 12, 2018 11:44pm
What about Musharraf what about this what about that, this is all the defenders of corruption have got left to say now.
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Oct 12, 2018 11:45pm
If Imran thinks he's immune to these measures; he'll soon find out when he becomes the next target of the sacred.
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Oct 12, 2018 11:47pm
It is same blacklist which had zulfi bukhari name but within few minutes imran manage to remove his name and then took him to umra with family. NAB is being stupid to do such things day before elections.
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Oct 12, 2018 11:50pm
@Faisal - He is still the same - getting worse. I wish we all had those prize bonds!
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Oct 12, 2018 11:58pm
Saad Rafique is now Sad Rafique.
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Oct 12, 2018 11:59pm
He is honestly not dishonest.
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Oct 13, 2018 12:04am
Both Rafiq brothers are in trouble with NAB- they have to provide trail of their properties and source of income. Don't let corrupt mafia get away - punish them and recover all looted money, as this is the only way forward.
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Oct 13, 2018 12:10am
Should never allow him to escape the country like Dar, SS's son in law & NS's sons. Never. Shud make him pay for all his corruption.
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Oct 13, 2018 12:35am
What they say, close connections with the corrupt like Nawaz Sharif can’t be an honest person.
Good keep an eye on them. Don’t let them run like DAR our finance minister and confiscate all his properties in Pakistan.
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Oct 13, 2018 12:39am
Yes, the penalties start before they are found guilty of anything.
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Oct 13, 2018 01:06am
@Aamir. Passport is a basic right? Clean drinking water is a basic right, education is a basic right, passport is a legal document for travelling abroad.
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Oct 13, 2018 01:13am
Being corrupt and dishonest, get rich quick at all costs kind, has become fashionable in Pakistan. It beggars belief and disheartening to say the least that so many educated Pakistani Muslim people show active support for corruption and corrupt peoplne in Pakistan.
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Oct 13, 2018 01:15am
@Aamir My friend, Parvez Musharraf's passport is already expired and it was renewed for two months to come to Pakistan to face his trial
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Oct 13, 2018 01:25am
Wrong timings, trying to scare voters to change their mind.Shamfull act during election.
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Oct 13, 2018 01:32am
This man is so arrogant, humility is not in his dictionary. Jail awaits you Mr Rafique.
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Oct 13, 2018 01:54am
@Aamir Why was Musharraf allowed to leave the country by PML-N?
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Oct 13, 2018 02:09am
The trap is tightening around the corrupt. All loop holes are being closed one by one around the political and financial culprits of the past.
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Oct 13, 2018 02:26am
What was a railways minister doing with a housing scheme. Such crooks.
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Oct 13, 2018 02:31am
Why not just cancel his passport. The idea is to prevent him from running away, correct? Then install a Ankle bracelet with GPS monitor.
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Oct 13, 2018 03:46am
The people who have been involved directly or indirectly in the housing scams of various stripes must be punished.
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Oct 13, 2018 03:53am
Biased and selective accountability!! Everyone could see blatant positive change in railways in his tenure!!
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Oct 13, 2018 05:27am
@Shakeel Ahmed . “ He is honestly not dishonest” In mid 99s, He and his group occupied and sold my plot in Lahore. He personally threatened me at the time. At the end we prevailed and got it back.
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Oct 13, 2018 05:27am
Ask him to pay all dues/ nation money. And no political victimization.
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Oct 13, 2018 06:02am
Best way to prosecute these guys else they will run to England at Nawaz Sharif place. It is a big group of PML-N ex government people who all are involved in scams and money laundering.
The most current government can do is to confiscate their properties in Pakistan.
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Oct 13, 2018 06:15am
He is guilty or not but why only stalwarts of PML(N)?
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Oct 13, 2018 06:20am
Saad Rafique and his brother Salan Rafique both are very honest persons. I know them very well. They are potical victims. The selected govt and coreupt NAB would not be able to prove any thing against them.
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Oct 13, 2018 07:04am
@Khawja Azizuddin . That applies to many PTI members, Is NAB listening and so is PTI listening?
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Oct 13, 2018 07:11am
All I know is that I was impressed by railway online booking system. It’s more flexible than that of modern Airlines.
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Oct 13, 2018 07:14am
His only fault is that he is outspoken leader of PML-N. Unfair to escalate these issues before bi pools.
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Oct 13, 2018 07:15am
@Faisal you need some leader of the countries with skills to harm those who try to harm you.
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Oct 13, 2018 07:18am
@Faisal Their dishonesty has come back to haunt them now.
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Oct 13, 2018 08:19am
They should be scrutinized and should be tried in court for embezzlement of public funds and for grabbing Paragon, State life and other lands in Punjab. They should be probed to evaluate value of their assets and source of money.
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Oct 13, 2018 09:55am
Saad rafiq is thinking he is cleaver and rude but time is changing and you have to prove your innocence
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Oct 13, 2018 10:55am
@Faisal Interesting...The person is more known by his friends..Cannot agree less with you...The law should take it's due course and that too without further unnecessary delays..Let the corrupt be brought to justice and pay for their deeds..
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Oct 13, 2018 11:07am
@Salman what do you mean ? Do you want Saad Rafiq to go against the court orders.
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Oct 13, 2018 01:35pm
@Salvi "They are potical victims. The selected govt and coreupt NAB would not be able to prove any thing against them." Political victims of what, and by whom? Can you list the achievements by these brothers that resulted in victimization? Will they be able to prove that they did not accumulate wealth by illegal means? "You cannot prove anything", is the favorite dialogue of Mafiosi (and they are mostly right!!!) because they don't hide their criminality, they were able to find space in law. Those who have made the laws are even more confident about that. We agree that they are very competent in this regard. But that doesn't make them such political leaders who would be victimized.
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Oct 13, 2018 03:16pm
All I want to know is why is Prime Minister Imran Khan being soft on these bullies you can’t have one rule for one one for another just Round up all the corrupt bullies and put them behind bars and then ask them the questions because surely they won’t be coming back out
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