PESHAWAR — The provincial government in northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province renamed the lone cricket stadium in Peshawar as Imran Khan Cricket Stadium, a provincial information department statement said on Friday.
A provincial cabinet meeting with Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur as the chair approved the renaming of Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium to Imran Khan Cricket Stadium.
Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has been ruling the province for the last 12 years, winning three consecutive general elections since 2013.
The provincial government had earlier decided to rename the lone international cricketing venue in the province after the PTI founder to honour the cricketer-turned-politician’s pivotal role in shaping the nation’s sports landscape.
The provincial government undertook the stadium’s development in 1986-87 after it was transferred to the sports board from the municipal corporation, according to a summary signed by the chief minister, adding the stadium was later improved and provided with facilities when the World Cup was jointly hosted by India and Pakistan in 1996.
According to the summary, the stadium was used as a venue for test matches, one-day internationals, first-class matches and inter-club competitions.
Since its up-gradation, it has hosted teams from all major cricket-playing nations, including Australia, England, South Africa, West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, India and Zimbabwe, for both test and one-day internationals.
Sports Minister Syed Fakhar Jahan told the media the renaming of the stadium was beyond politics as Khan was the biggest name in the country’s sporting history.
Arbab Niaz was the father of Arbab Shahzad, former Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Pervez Khattak government (2013-18) and adviser to the Prime Minister on Establishment in the Imran Khan government (2018-2022).
Arbab Shahzad, a former senior bureaucrat and a close confidante of the PTI supremo, has expressed dismay over renaming the stadium after Khan. — (PTI)