SC orders ‘audit’ of Gun & Country Club

The Supreme Court has ordered an immediate audit of the Gun and Country Club (GCC), saying the issue of lease of land between the entity and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) would be decided by a competent authority.

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

It was set up as a target shooting facility for the 2004 South Asian Games but later was converted into an entity that catered to the affluent class.

The club has several shooting ranges, a swimming pool, tennis courts and restaurants for its almost 1,000 members. Later, a marriage hall was also constructed on the club’s premises

The Supreme Court had taken suo motu notice of the allotment of land for the GCC in 2011. On July 9, 2018, while hearing a case relating to the illegal construction of the GCC and a marriage hall on the land meant for the Pakistan Sports Board, the top court had declared the club as illegal and ordered handing over possession of the venue to the sports board — since they had originally leased the land.

The top court had ordered the Inter-Provincial Coordination Ministry (IPC) to take over the management of the club and appointed an interim managing committee.

On Monday, a bench led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial heard the case.

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The court declared that the audit should be carried out from December 2, 2019 till June 20, 2022 and that the process should be completed at the earliest.

It further stated that the issue of lease of land between the GCC and the CDA would be decided by the competent authority.

During the hearing, the additional attorney general said that they were not being provided the details of the weapons by the GCC. He said the audit of the club was not being conducted by the current committee.

Committee member Naeem Bokhari replied that internal audit of the body was being conducted every year, adding that the committee wanted to pay Rs1880 million to the CDA.

The chief justice said that the concerned authority should decide on the payment of Rs1.8 billion and that the apex court would not do anything in this regard.

The top judge said that the club was a national asset and the court only wanted to protect it. He further said that the government should legislate on the matter at the earliest and take over the management of the club.

The chief justice remarked that accusations were hurled from both the sides. He said the tea bill of the IPC secretary, who is also the committee chairman, totaled Rs416,000, noting that the judges in the meetings of the top court bear refreshment expenses from their pocket.

The chief justice said he had heard that Quaid-e-Azam would also not offer tea and biscuits during the meetings.

Later, the court adjourned the hearing of the case till February 2023.