ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel was informed on Friday that the Gun and Country Club is occupying an area of more than 100 acres for a shooting game without any legal framework.

The Senate Standing Committee on Interprovincial Coordination met here with Senator Nisar Khuhro in the chair. The committee was given a detailed briefing by Interprovincial Coordination Ministry.

The committee was told that a lot of issues are yet to be resolved despite the Supreme Court’s order which had ordered an audit of the Gun and Country Club, saying the issue of lease of land between the entity and Capital Development Authority (CDA) should be decided by a competent authority.

The chairman of the committee questioned the delay in resolving the issues involving Gun and Country Club in light of the apex court’s orders which had directed an immediate audit back in 2020.

The panel sought a detailed briefing from the management committee of the Gun and Country Club by the next meeting, and added that the committee will also write a letter to the Cabinet Division to resolve the issues pertaining to the entity as soon as possible.

Khuhro said that the Gun and Country Club is a national asset which is not being properly utilised due to management and other corrupt practices which need to be stopped at all costs.

The committee was also given a detailed briefing about the working of the Inter-Provincial Coordination Ministry.

The committee called upon the ministry to focus on rural sporting talent, saying there is a need to focus on creating an ecosystem that fosters young talent from rural areas.

Discussing the National Internship Programme (NIP) that was conceived and designed by the Establishment Division in FY 2006-2007, the committee was informed that the NIP business was assigned to the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination in 2014.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023