Lahore Division

Lahore | Riaz Hussain ReNews Pakistan The Lahore Cantonment Board has decided to initiate recovery of outstanding dues under various heads through the magistrate, invoking Section 259 of the Cantonments Act, 1924, according to a recent office order. The order directs all relevant branch heads to prepare lists of recoverable arrears relating to properties, owners, occupants, lessees, licensees, hoardings, TIP, and Cantonment Fund buildings and lands. The recovery exercise covers property and house tax, water charges, conservancy and sanitation charges, lease and ground rents, and renewal and transfer fees. Outstanding licence, trade, professional and advertisement fees are also included, along with building plan, mutation and regularisation fees. The order additionally covers fines, penalties, surcharges and other claims payable to the board, as well as any other sums recoverable under the Act and its rules and bylaws. Each branch head has been made personally responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the information submitted to the magistrate for recovery. The order warns that delays or inaccuracies will be taken seriously and dealt with under the applicable rules.

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan The Punjab government has introduced significant changes to its stamp duty system, exempting gift deeds between specified close relatives and reducing the duty on other gift deeds from two percent to one percent. The changes have been introduced through the Stamp (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, issued by the Punjab governor to amend the Stamp Act, 1899. The ordinance was published in an extraordinary issue of the Punjab Gazette on October 20, 2026, and took effect immediately. Under the revised framework, exchanges of immovable properties of equal value will attract a fixed stamp duty of Rs1,000. Government leases have also been exempted from stamp duty, alongside gift deeds between the specified categories of close relatives. Residential tenancy agreements will be subject to fixed stamp duty ranging from Rs3,000 to Rs25,000, with the applicable amount determined by the annual rent. The amendments also empower the Board of Revenue to amend and revise land valuation tables. The government has additionally decided to expand the e-stamping system. The measures are intended to modernise stamp duty collection, address legal ambiguities and improve the administrative procedures governing revenue collection.

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan A Punjab Assembly special committee has questioned how Lahore Gymkhana Club has continued to pay just Rs5,000 in annual rent for more than 100 acres of prime government land, seeking complete records of the lease, its approval and construction permissions. The committee, chaired by MPA Samiullah Khan, examined the arrangement during a meeting on Wednesday, noting that the land’s estimated value ranged from Rs76 billion to Rs218 billion. Lahore Gymkhana Chairman Salman Siddique acknowledged that the existing rent was inadequate, saying the club should be paying at least Rs10 million annually. He expressed willingness to provide records and cooperate with the inquiry. The Board of Revenue’s Member Colonies told the committee that former chief minister Sardar Arif Nakai had verbally instructed officials to fix the annual rent at Rs5,000 when the lease was extended. The official acknowledged that proper valuation procedures and applicable legal principles had not been followed. Members questioned how a verbal instruction could justify such a substantial concession and sought the complete record of the 1996 lease deed and its approval. The committee stressed that the land belongs to the people of Punjab and that the club’s internal governance arrangements do not remove the government’s responsibility to oversee the use of state property. Members also requested verification of sanctioned building plans, government permissions and compliance with lease conditions. They raised questions about responsibility for structural safety where the necessary approvals could not be established. Options discussed to increase public benefit included opening the club’s cricket ground to the public and relocating the club to a site near the Ring Road. Members also questioned the use of public funds for an exclusive recreational institution occupying leased government land. No final decision on these proposals was announced. The committee directed the relevant departments to submit detailed reports. A fact-finding committee headed by the Advocate General Punjab was tasked with framing questions, obtaining and verifying records, and submitting its findings within ten days. At the conclusion of the meeting, the chair directed that legal questions arising from the inquiry be referred to the Law Reforms Committee under the Punjab Assembly speaker for joint deliberation.