University of Management and Technology (UMT) President Ibrahim Hassan Murad has called for the government takeover and relocation of Lahore Gymkhana and Aitchison College to the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) site to “decolonise” prime urban land.
“Sanctuaries for the elite: Lahore Gymkhana and even Aitchison College must be taken over by the Government and their establishments be relocated to RUDA. It is time to decolonize,” Murad stated on social media platform X.
Murad suggested that both entities receive token equity in new projects built on current parcels as goodwill and disturbance allowance. “With a 10 billion fund, they can both create a state-of-the-art new club and a school for elites of Lahore,” Murad wrote, adding that funding can be raised from current members, government loans, or grants.
Murad described the Gymkhana as “the nesting ground for retirees and select elite, and the birthplace of the most useless election in the world.”
Murad proposed converting the 113-acre site into a public park with a 35 percent educational component. “The 113-acre Lahore Gymkhana will yield around ~200 Million a year in rental yield in place of token Rs 5000 today if just 35% is given at 5 million per acre to educational institutions,” Murad stated, adding that selling land facing Gulberg Main Boulevard can generate around Rs 25 billion.
Addressing the 200-acre Aitchison College parcel, Murad stated, “Aitchison built on 200 acres, with a 50% (100 acres) net yield, the land can generate around Rs 80 Billion for the government at Rs 100 million per kanal. A new Central Business/Government District can be planned here.”
Murad outlined the potential allocation of the total proceeds, “This Rs 100 billion can be used to create an endowment or cash fund focused on the education of 15,000,000 out-of-school Punjabi youth.”
Murad noted that organizations like TCF, Ghazali, Al-Khidmat, and Baithak Schools educate a child at Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 annually, allowing the sites to sponsor education for around five million kids for a full year. “Alternatively a grant of Rs 2-4 Billion can be given to all DHQs of Punjab. This amount can also sponsor university education for about 150,000 youth,” Murad added.
Murad made these comments in response to a statement by Punjab Assembly Special Committee member Ahmad Iqbal following a meeting where the Chairman of Lahore Gymkhana and members of the Management Committee gave a briefing for the second consecutive day.
Iqbal stated that the club’s “‘Nqsh-e-Kahan’ lies not so much in its building as in the mindset that has persisted from the colonial era to this day,” describing the situation as “a separate world for the privileged on the people’s land, where the right to entry and facilities is determined by status.”
“The current rent of 5,000 annually is a joke. But the question goes beyond rent: the true owners of the land are the people, why are its gates closed to them?”
Iqbal also called for scrutiny of the financial concessions granted to the club and the public benefits it provides in return, including access to sports facilities for players who are not members.
