Punjab Assembly vs Lahore Gymkhana: Dispute Over 1,090 Kanals of Land Intensifies

The controversy surrounding Lahore Gymkhana Club has intensified, with a special committee of the Punjab Assembly directing the club’s committee members and relevant government officials to appear on October 21 with comprehensive records concerning the lease of land, revenue matters, building plans, government funding and financial audits.

The committee has sought lease and revenue records, building maps, details of funds and financial assistance provided by the government, and the club’s audit reports for the past five years. It has also demanded an assessment of the current market value of the 1,090 kanals of land occupied by the club, which reportedly pays an annual lease of just Rs5,000.

The committee has additionally sought records relating to a 48-kanal cricket ground in Bagh-e-Jinnah, for which the reported annual lease is only Rs900.

Lahore Gymkhana is an elite social club with around 5,000 affluent families as members, offering a range of recreational and social facilities. The exceptionally low reported lease payments have raised questions about the terms under which valuable public land has been made available to the club and whether the arrangement adequately serves the public interest.

The club has also faced allegations of selling imported liquor. The issue was raised in the Punjab Assembly around two years ago by government member Amjad Ali Javed.

The latest move by the special committee has brought the matter back into the spotlight, placing the Punjab Assembly under scrutiny over how it handles questions concerning public land, government resources and the privileges enjoyed by influential sections of society.

The proceedings are being viewed as a test of the assembly’s commitment to public accountability and equitable use of state resources. The key question is whether the committee will ensure a transparent review of the club’s land leases and financial arrangements or whether the interests of the elite will prevail.

The controversy has also drawn attention to Punjab’s wider socioeconomic challenges. Critics point to the stark contrast between the reported privileges enjoyed by elite institutions and the hardships faced by ordinary citizens. According to the claims cited in the debate, around 10 million children in Punjab are unable to attend school because of poverty, while 48 per cent of the population struggles to afford two meals a day.

The issue has therefore evolved beyond a dispute over lease payments, raising broader questions about the management of public assets, social inequality and whether government institutions are willing to hold influential organisations accountable under the same standards applied to ordinary citizens.