ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday declared the Gun and Country Club illegal and ordered the Pakistan Sports Board to take over the land on which the club is set up.

The decision was made by a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar.

The apex court ruled that the land on which the club is established belongs to the Pakistan Sports Board and that people got memberships at their own risk.

The court referred the matter of returning membership fees to the concerned ministry.

Pakistan Sports Board ordered to take over the club’s land

The chief justice remarked that there is no legal approval for the construction of the club and marriage hall.

The court nullified a notification issued during Gen Pervez Musharraf’s tenure for the establishment of the club on the board’s land.

The club was established as a target shooting facility for the 2004 South Asian Games as a sports board facility, but was converted into a club which caters to the affluent class.

It has several shooting ranges, a swimming pool, tennis court and restaurants for its almost 10,000 members and a marriage hall was also constructed on the club premises.

The club was established on Nov 18, 2002 through the Gun and Club Resolution which was subsequently notified by the now devolved sports ministry.

During the hearing, the court said there is a shortage of land in Islamabad for hospitals, apparently in reference to Polyclinic Hospital the expansion project of which has been delaying for the last decade.

However, illegal clubs are being run on state land, the court said.

The bench also directed the Survey of Pakistan and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to demarcate 145 acres of land originally allotted to the Pakistan Sports Board by the CDA, within two weeks.

The court ordered the sports board to employ the gun club’s employees.

Earlier during the hearing, Additional Attorney General Nayyar Rizvi sought a few days time from the apex court for submitting records of the land lease of the court but the request was rejected, with the chief justice saying the court did not want to keep dragging the case.

Justice Ijazul Ahsan asked during the hearing what the gun club was to which the additional attorney general said it was a shooting club established for the South Asian games.

The chief justice remarked that land was allotted to the sports board so how can a gun club be established on it.

The first administrator of the club was retired Lt Gen Arif Hassan who was followed by Faisal Sekhi Butt during the PPP government. The club was looked after by PML-N leader Daniyal Aziz during the last government.

An official of the Pakistan Sports Board told Dawn the board will take over the club premises and that the facility will be used to promote shooting.

A few months before the completion of his tenure, former minister for inter provincial coordination, which also looks after the affairs of the sports board, Riaz Hussain Pirzada made attempts to setup a hockey academy in the club.

A CDA official told Dawn the civic body had large chunks of land for hospital facilities in various areas of the capital. He said the extension to Poly Clinic was facing delays due to the land of the park where the extension is to be built.

He said after receiving the written orders of the court, the civic agency will decide to use the land as the civic agency thinks the gun club is also encroaching on CDA land.

“The picture will be clearer after the fresh demarcation, he said, adding that CDA will take over excessive land after the demarcation.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2018