A special committee of the Punjab Assembly has requested the complete record regarding the 1996 renewal of the Lahore Gymkhana Club's lease. The Board of Revenue Colonies Wing must provide the committee with the lease deed, official summaries, file notings, approval orders, and valuation criteria.
Lawmakers also sought a written explanation to identify the competent authority and the legal basis used to determine the rent. The committee questioned why the lease was extended for 50 years, covering the period from 2000 to 2050, during the 1996 renewal process.
The Board of Revenue stated it lacks records of government approval for buildings erected on the land between 1972 and 2012. Land currently held by the club is valued between Rs76 billion and Rs218 billion.
In January 2025, a district price and rent assessment committee valued comparable land along The Mall, Jail Road, and Zafar Ali Road at Rs70 million to Rs200 million per kanal. The club has occupied the site since 1913.
Annual rent for the club was set at Rs1,600 in 1921 and remained at that level for 79 years. The 1996 renewal fixed the annual rent at Rs5,000 for a 50-year term.
Additionally, the club holds a six-acre cricket ground in Bagh-e-Jinnah at an annual rent of Rs900 under a lease valid until 2069. MPA Amjad Ali Javed described the situation as "elite capture."
MPA Ahmad Iqbal Chaudhry referred to the club as a "colonial relic." A 2023 gymkhana policy requires clubs to pay 10 per cent of market rent with a 5 per cent annual increase.
Under that 2023 policy, 13 gymkhanas in nine districts were allotted land at annual rates between Rs200,000 and Rs1.4 million per acre. The Board of Revenue maintains that the 2023 policy does not apply to the club's existing lease.
