PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday issued a notice to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and sought response on a petition filed against the renaming of Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium to Imran Khan Cricket Stadium.
The case was heard by a two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Sadiq Ali Momand. Counsel for the petitioner, Ali Gauhar Durrani, and Additional Advocate General Imran appeared before the court.
During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the provincial government had renamed Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium after Imran Khan with the approval of the provincial cabinet on February 21, last year, which is against the guidelines of the Administration Department. He stated that, according to these guidelines, public assets cannot be named after a living individual.
Justice Syed Arshad Ali said that judgments from the PHC and the Balochistan High Court already existed on the matter. These prohibited the naming of places after living persons.The Additional Advocate General requested time from the court to submit a report.
The petitioner’s counsel informed the court that Arbab Niaz Stadium was constructed in 1984 and was initially named Shahi Bagh Cricket Stadium.In 1987, its name was changed to Arbab Niaz Stadium. He added that under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Council Rules, 1994, a place cannot be renamed for at least 50 years after its naming.
He stated that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan had himself expressed displeasure over the provincial government’s decision.The court was told that the stadium is the only international cricket ground in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The ground hosted 15 One Day Internationals and 6 Test matches between 1984 and 2006, with the last match played between Pakistan and India in February 2006. No international match has been held there since.
It was stated that renovation work on the stadium began in 2017, and upon completion, its name was changed. National T20 matches were also held at the venue during Ramazan.A PSL 2026 match was scheduled to be played at the ground on March 28, but due to the energy crisis, matches were limited to Lahore and Karachi.
Earliler, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday issued notices to the provincial government and sought a response on petitions filed against the condition of roads in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The hearing of the constitutional petitions was conducted by a two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Justice SM Attique Shah and Justice Muhammad Ijaz Khan.During proceedings, petitioners’ lawyers, Shah Faisal Utmankhel, and officials from the National Highway Authority (NHA) appeared before the court.
At the outset of the hearing on roads in Chitral, the petitioner’s counsel informed the court that the roads in the area are in poor condition and that accidents occur frequently.Counsel for the NHA told the court that due to financial constraints, the government had adopted austerity measures and that no police deployment had been made on Chitral’s roads.
In response, the chief justice observed that it is everyone’s responsibility to act responsibly, adding that nowadays anyone possessing a weapon acts like a mafia.The advocate general informed the court that the provincial government had released Rs21 billion for the purchase of modern weapons for the police.
However, the chief justice reiterated that the situation remains critical, with daily casualties among police personnel.The advocate general stated that conditions are improving compared to the past. The chief justice remarked that the NHA had informed the court that all facilities were being ensured in compliance with court orders, while the advocate general had also suggested implementing an effective traffic management plan.
