Audit unable to ascertain location of 38 acres of ‘Gun & Country Club’ land

ISLAMABAD: The latest audit has failed to find out the whereabouts of over 38 acres of land, on prime location of the federal capital, which were required to be under the possession of the Gun & Country Club, Islamabad.

“Audit is of the view that the whereabouts of 38.727 acres of land were not known, which was required to be under the possession of the Gun & Country Club,” said the Audit Report 2023-2024.

Further, the report stated that no documents were available with the club, which led to the encroachment of the club land. In addition to this, the club management told the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) that the matter had been taken up with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the ministry concerned. Two meetings had been conducted in that regard. The CDA was being approached for lease of the land. The management accepted the Audit view, added the report.

The Audit further recommended looking into the matter under intimation to the Audit. The actual land, as per resolution, required to be under possession of the Gun and Country Club, Islamabad, was 72 acres, but only 33.273 acres of land was under its possession currently.

As per the CDA, Islamabad’s 72 acres of land was provided to the Club and Property Tax of the same was claimed. But before the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Gun & Country Club accepted that approximately 37 acres of land was in its possession without any deed of transfer or a deed or document of lease or licence.

Also, the report observed that the Gun & Country Club accepted before the SC that approximately 37 acres of land was allotted to the Gun and Country Club. However, as per a letter, addressed to the Financial Advisor/ Member CDA, it was stated that the land measuring 33.273 acres was allotted to the Gun and Country Club, which was further reduced by 3.727 acres than the actual land in possession of the club.

The audit report also noted that the CDA chairman gave presentation to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the Club and stated that a land of 145 acres was allotted to Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) in 1977, and the total cost of the land was Rs736,600 at the rate of Rs5,060 per acre. He stated that in the year 2000, the 9th SAF Games were proposed to be held in Islamabad and a steering committee was constituted, which reserved 44 acres for shooting ranges at the PSB, out of allocated 145 acres of land, added the report.

As per Suo Moto Case No. 14 of 2011, it was stated that “we would also like to highlight that the resolution dated 30.09.2022, upon which the club has placed reliance to justify its occupation of approximately 37 acres of land in its possession, is neither a deed of transfer nor a deed or document of lease or licence”.

Further, letter No. GCC/MANCOM/2021, dated 31.08.2021 of the Gun & Country Club, addressed to the Financial Advisor/ Member CDA, stated that the land measuring 33.273 acres was allotted to the Gun and Country Club with retrospective effect. The Gun and Country Club, Islamabad, was provided a land of 72 acres by the Pakistan Sports Board for running a Gun Club.