The brazen takeover of the Royal Palm Golf and Country Club — the Royal Palm — by Pakistan Railways officials shows the blatant disregard by the Pakistan Railways for the established etiquette of dealing with businesses. It surely is appalling on the part of a government organisation to forcefully occupy a premises when proceedings regarding it are pending before court and no verdict has yet been given. If there are any outstanding dues that the Royal Palm owes to the Pakistan Railways, then a claim should be made in a relevant court instead of using force to evict the current management of the Royal Palm and closing off the business altogether. As the Royal Palm consortium has, according to them, invested more than 1.5 billion rupees in the club, and turned it into a world class facility, it is not unreasonable to suggest that the Pakistan Railways’ decision to deprive the Royal Palm management of the right to run the facility is a gross violation of the trust on which business partnerships are based. The Royal Palm consortium has made one of those rare facilities in Pakistan that are up to international standards. The Pakistan Railways, being part of government, should support such endeavours rather than jeopardise them. In addition to the take over of the facility, reports have emerged that “looting” is taking place inside, and not just the members of the board, management personnel and employees, even club members are not being allowed to enter the premises, and collect their belongings from the lockers. This behaviour is disgraceful, to say the least, let alone one befitting a government organisation. It would indeed be a great travesty of justice if nothing is done to stop this. The Royal Palm management is correct in pointing out that unilateral cancellation of the contract by the Pakistan Railways is absurd, and this would damage the reputation of government as a reliable business partner. Pakistan already faces a dearth of investment, and this move on part of the Pakistan Railways would further exacerbate the issue. If the business community is under constant fear of government taking over its businesses then this could hardly be conducive for the development of business in Pakistan. For this very reason, the Royal Palm issue is a national one, and its outcome would greatly affect investor confidence in Pakistan. The Pakistan Railways has set a very dangerous precedent, and unless it is not undone immediately, not only would the future of a great business be in danger, but also businesses in general would negatively react to the uncertainty that this would create. Hence, government needs to decide if it would let Pakistan Railways forcefully occupy the Royal Palm, and, in turn, damage its reputation or resolve the matter through the proper procedure.*