Lahore Gymkhana chairman calls Rs5,000 annual rent inadequate as Punjab inquiry advances
The club’s chairman acknowledged that its annual rent for more than 100 acres of state land was inadequate. A Punjab Assembly committee has ordered a 10-day review of the records.
Lahore Gymkhana Club chairman Salman Siddique acknowledged before a Punjab Assembly committee in Lahore that the club’s Rs5,000 annual rent for more than 100 acres of state land was inadequate, Dawn reported on October 22. The committee assigned a fact-finding panel to verify records and report within 10 days, bringing the terms of the club’s use of public land under closer scrutiny.
The committee, chaired by MPA Samiullah Khan, also heard from members of the club’s management, according to Dawn. Lawmakers questioned how the nominal rent had persisted without meaningful scrutiny and said public institutions were responsible for protecting state land and enforcing lease terms.
How the Lahore Gymkhana lease came under scrutiny
The questions follow earlier hearings on the legal basis of the lease. Business Recorder reported that lawmakers had asked departments to explain the lease, rent and audit arrangements. Dawn reported on October 21 that the committee had summoned senior officers and sought the original approval record. The latest hearing added the chairman’s acknowledgment and a 10-day review of the records.
A Board of Revenue member told the committee that then chief minister Sardar Muhammad Arif Nakai had verbally directed the Rs5,000 annual rent for a lease extension in 1996, Dawn reported. Lawmakers requested documents showing who had authority to approve the terms and how that approval was given. The account of a verbal direction remains to be tested against those records.
The committee was shown estimates valuing the property between Rs76 billion and Rs218 billion, according to Dawn. The report did not identify who prepared the estimates. The figures underscored the scale of the land at issue in the committee’s examination of the rent and lease terms.
Building approvals and state audit questions
Siddique said he had struggled to locate internal records of official approvals for club buildings, Dawn reported. Lawmakers called for the building plans, permissions and compliance with the lease to be checked. The committee directed the Lahore Development Authority, Parks and Horticulture Authority, Federal Board of Revenue and other bodies to provide reports on matters within their jurisdictions.
A question over an independent state audit remains before the Supreme Court, according to Dawn. Club management said it would follow the eventual verdict. Separately, the fact-finding committee headed by the Advocate General Punjab is to frame questions, verify records and submit its report within 10 days.
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Sources and context
- Lahore Gymkhana’s low rent attributed to ‘decades of oversight failures’Dawn
- Punjab Assembly body summons senior officers in gymkhana land controversyDawn
- Punjab PA body questions legality of Lahore Gymkhana’s leaseBusiness Recorder
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.