ISLAMABAD: Though Capital Development Authority (CDA) is mulling to lease out another 28 acres of land to most controversial “The Gun and Country Club”, according to Islamabad Land Disposal Regulations the land can only be handed over to the club administration through auction, Daily Times learnt on Thursday. The 33 years lease of 145 acres of land in the use of club has been expired, but Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) could not get it extended due to non-confirming activities of the club on this land. The land on which Gun Club is situated was originally allotted to PSB for Sports Complex, but PSB subleased it to a private entity in clear violation of the CDA rules.
The land of the Gun Club is being used for the commercial purposes. Recently, a project of marriage hall on this land in violation of CDA rules was also under discussion, it is learnt. According to sources, in 1977 CDA handed over 145 acres of land to PSB and charged Rs 7,36,600 (Rs 5,060 per acre) for 33 years lease. In the master plan 44 acres of land was marked for shooting range, but PSB instead of developing a shooting range gave this land to a private entity and it is being used for commercial purposes. As the lease expired in 2010 and it could have been renewed on new terms and conditions, but according to CDA rules it could not be renewed due to non-confirming use of land.
Requesting not to be named, an officer of CDA said that on June 18, 2011, CDA Board had principally decided that they would handover the land to the Gun Club against Rs 1 million per acre. He alleged that Gun Club’s administrator Faisal Sakhi Butt was considered very close to a political personality and he was blackmailing CDA. He said it was decided that land would be handed over to the club, which is clear violation of Article 184(3) of Islamabad Land Disposal Regulation, which says that land which has to be used for the commercial purposes can only be allotted through auction and handing over the land without advertisement is clear violation of the rules.
An officer of the PSB said that land being used for the Gun Club was meant for Sports Complex, but it was subleased to a private entity and it is being used for commercial purposes. He said the club’s administration was doing a drama and pretending that it is a semi-government organization. There is a lot of difference between a shooting range and a club, he said, adding, it seems a group of influential has been playing with the rules and molding them according to their convenience.
