Lahore Gymkhana Pays Just Rs. 5,000 Annual Rent for Land Valued at Up to Rs. 218 Billion

In practice, a Punjab Assembly committee has questioned how Lahore Gymkhana Club has continued paying just Rs.

Key points

• The special committee, chaired by MPA Samiullah Khan, triggered concern during a session on Wednesday after club Chairman Salman Siddique acknowledged that the rent was inadequate.
• A Punjab Assembly committee has questioned how Lahore Gymkhana Club has continued paying just Rs.
• The committee is investigating why the lease arrangement remained in place despite the land's estimated value of Rs.
• The official acknowledged that proper valuation and applicable legal principles had not been followed.
• They additionally questioned the apply of public funds for an exclusive recreational institution occupying leased administration land.

In practice, a Punjab Assembly committee has questioned how Lahore Gymkhana Club has continued paying just Rs. 5, 000 in annual rent for more than 100 acres of prime administration land in Lahore.

Notably, the committee is investigating why the lease arrangement remained in place despite the land's estimated value of Rs. 76 billion to Rs. 218 billion.

Notably, the special committee, chaired by MPA Samiullah Khan, triggered concern during a session on Wednesday after club Chairman Salman Siddique acknowledged that the rent was inadequate. Siddique remarked the club should be paying at least Rs. 10 million annually and expressed willingness to provide records and cooperate with the inquiry. Pakistan's Inflation to Rise Further Next Year. Punjab Assembly Panel Questions Lease Approval.

Notably, the Member Colonies of the Board of Revenue informed the committee that former chief minister Sardar Arif Nakai had verbally instructed office-holders to set the annual rent at Rs. 5, 000 when the lease was extended. The official acknowledged that proper valuation and applicable legal principles had not been followed.

Committee members questioned how a verbal instruction could have formed the basis for such a significant concession and requested the complete record of the 1996 lease deed and its approval.

Notably, the committee stressed that the land belongs to the individuals of Punjab and that the club's internal governance arrangements do not remove the government's responsibility to oversee the apply of state property. Members additionally sought verification of sanctioned building aims, administration permissions and compliance with lease conditions, raising questions concerning responsibility for structural safety where approvals could not be established. Almost Half of Region's Poorest Residents Live in Pakistan: World Bank. Committee Seeks Records and Wider Public Benefit.

Members discussed options to growth public benefit from the land, including opening the club's cricket ground to the public and relocating the club to a site near the Ring Road. They additionally questioned the apply of public funds for an exclusive recreational institution occupying leased administration land.

For context, the committee directed relevant departments to submit detailed reports and tasked a fact finding committee under the Advocate General Punjab with framing questions, obtaining and verifying records, and submitting its findings within ten days.

At the close of the session, the chairperson directed that legal questions arising from the inquiry be referred to the Law Reforms Committee under the Punjab Assembly speaker for joint deliberation. Stay Connected with ProPakistani.

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