The Supreme Court has granted permission to Maxcorp-Habib Pakistan Limited (MHPL), the former operator of the Royal Palm Golf and Country Club, to participate in the fresh lease bidding process for the facility. The court dismissed objections raised by Pakistan Railways, stating that the exclusionary clauses in the bid documents were unwarranted.
During the hearing, Justice Aminuddin questioned the rationale behind barring MHPL from re-entering the process, remarking, “How can we exclude the very party that developed this institution?”
MHPL had its agreement with Pakistan Railways terminated in 2019, a matter still pending appellate review. Since then, the club’s standards have reportedly deteriorated, and Pakistan Railways has allegedly failed to contribute any revenue to the national exchequer over the past six years.
The court also took note of Pakistan Railways’ previous attempts to use legal and administrative tactics to prevent specific bidders from entering the lease process—an approach the bench strongly discouraged.
