The Pakistan Association of Hong Kong

The majority of Muslims from the part of the Indo-Pakistan sub-continent which now forms Pakistan came to Hong Kong around 1880 as soldiers in the Hong Kong Singapore Battalion of the British Army. In addition to those who served in the British Army there were some in the police. Others were from Government officers, banks, schools and other private concerns as well as traders.

Since almost all of these people were from Punjab, there was a great deal of fellowship with Punjabi Sikhs (some of them fellow-soldiers) and together with them they formed the Kowloon India Tennis Club in 1907. In 1910 the Hong Kong Government gave a plot of land in Gasceigne Road in Kowloon and the first club house was built with wood.

In 1924 the Muslims formed themselves into the Indian Muslim Society. The Indian Muslim Society members considered Kowloon Indian Tennis Club (KITC) which had a more sturdy building constructed in 1923, as their social club and enjoyed the facilities of the Club with tennis as the main past time for another 25 years.

The Muslims then found themselves without a club house or a representative body as the Indian Muslim Society had ceased to exist. They themselves formed the Pakistan Muslim Society in 1950. They used to meet in the old Homantln Mosque.

The Pakistan Trade Commission opened its office in Hong Kong in 1957 and its first Senior Trade Commissioner played a very important role in uniting the Pakistani community. The Pakistanis officially registered themselves with the Hong Kong Government in 1960 as the Pakistan Association of Hong Kong.

The Association applied and was granted a plot of land situated at the junction of Gasceine Road and Wylie Road with a total area of 22,110 sq. ft. to build a club house. The building was completed in 1969 and since then a lot of improvements has been made to the "club" with the addition of two international standard squash courts which were opened in September 1985.