Lahore Gymkhana suspends member over ‘hooliganism’ at club

LAHORE: The administration of Lahore Gymkhana Club has suspended the membership of a son of an influential member following his alleged involvement in hooliganism within the club. After a video surfaced on social media depicting individuals engaging in hooliganism at the club, the club's chairman, Salman Saddique, informed Dawn of the membership suspension as a standard operating procedure (SOP) for any serious breach of discipline by a Gymkhana member, both inside and outside the club.

The club has formed a three-member standing discipline committee, comprised of independent senior club members, to investigate the scuffle issue.

The suspended member, according to a source familiar with the matter, not only mistreated club staff but also threw plates at other members in response to a "guest issue." Club members have condemned the incident and are demanding that the executive committee take action against the "culprit(s)" and implement measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.

Last month, the Punjab Assembly's Special Committee summoned senior provincial government officers to discuss the Lahore Gymkhana land lease controversy. The committee questioned the nominal annual rent of Rs5,000 being charged from the elite club, established on over 100 acres of prime state land in Lahore. The committee, chaired by MPA Samiullah Khan, expressed serious concerns over the low rent and the club's lease renewal for another 50 years in 2000, despite the earlier lease still being in place at that time.