LAHORE - National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Wednesday summoned for Thursday (today) Pakistan Muslim League –Quaid (PML-Q) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi for accumulating assets beyond means.

According to NAB spokesman, Chaudhry brothers were due to explain their position about acquiring assets beyond means. The NAB authorities have also directed Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Ali Jahangir Siddiqui to appear in person on Monday in a company corruption case.

Both Khawaja Saad Rafique and Khawaja Salman Rafique were to appear before the NAB on Wednesday (yesterday) but they could not turn up before the bureau. However, the counsel representing Khawaja brothers said that his clients were busy in provincial assembly and sought more time for their appearance.

Chaudhry brothers have been facing NAB inquiry since long for allegedly having illegal assets. Both brothers were framed in a graft case before the tenure of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf. However, they had already assured their full cooperation to NAB investigators.

Ali Jahangir Siddiqui who is currently Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, was previously summoned by the NAB on March 22 to record his statement in a probe against the affairs of M/s Azgard Nine Limited (ANL).

While Khawaja brothers have been facing NAB inquiries for their alleged role in Paragon Housing Scheme ‘corruption’ case since Nov last year.

Previously, Khawaja Saad was asked to appear before the accountability court on June 21, whereas Salman was asked to appear on June 22.

The NAB officials, in November last, had launched an investigation into a mega land scams involving Khawaja Saad Rafique’s Paragon Housing Society in Lahore and the Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC).

The bureau had written to the PLDC to submit record regarding its project – Ashiana Iqbal Lahore – for which a contract agreement was signed between the PLDC and Anhui Construction Engineering Group owned by Director Paragon Exchange Ali Sajjad, Bismillah Engineering Company owned by the chief executive of Paragon City Nadeem Zia and Sparco Group.

In April this year, NAB’s Lahore chapter had sought an explanation from the brothers regarding “exchange of their 50-Kanal piece of land with ‘developed plots’ measuring 40 Kanal in Paragon Housing Society through an agreement.

Terming the deal ‘dubious’ as such a practice is not a routine in land exchange matters, the NAB has not since received a reply from Khawaja brothers.