I congratulate Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq for the railways resuming control of the Royal Palm Club in Lahore
KARACHI: I congratulate Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq for the railways resuming control of the Royal Palm Club in Lahore. The land on which the club was located had belonged to the Pakistan Railways for more than a century. It was sold in a highly dubious deal by a blue-eyed boy of General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, who was the railway minister in 2001-02. The land on which the club stands today housed 72 beautiful British-era houses, which should have been considered a part of our architectural heritage. These houses were instead demolished within three days to make way for this pleasure resort, catering to Pakistan’s elite.
I now request Khawaja Saad Rafiq to take similar action with regard to the property in Karachi which previously housed the railway club in the city, located behind the Cantt railway station. This is a prime piece of property, which was also handed over to a private party by the same minister in a suspicious deal, its details never having been revealed to the public.
Mustafa Ahmed
Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2016.
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