Punjab Cabinet rejects proposal to rename Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium

The Punjab Cabinet has rejected a proposal to rename the historic Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

During the 22nd meeting of the provincial cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, various agenda items including setting up of electric vehicle charging stations were discussed.

However, the cabinet decided not to rename the iconic stadium. This decision comes after the renaming of Karachi’s National Stadium as National Bank Cricket Arena in 2022.

The idea of ​​renaming the Gaddafi Stadium first came up in 2022 when former PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja suggested renaming the stadium to a new sponsor, citing financial reasons behind the proposed change.

While Raja managed to rename the Karachi National Stadium, the fate of the Gaddafi Stadium remains uncertain.

It is not the first time that the authorities are considering changing the name of the stadium.

In February 2013, shortly after the death of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the Punjab Olympic Association urged the provincial government to reconsider the name in light of growing public sentiment against the former Libyan leader.

Originally built in 1959, the stadium was first named “Lahore Stadium”.

However, in 1974, when Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi visited Pakistan during the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Lahore, he delivered a speech supporting Pakistan’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.

In response, then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto decided to rename the stadium in honor of Gaddafi.

After Gaddafi was ousted from power, there were calls to disassociate the stadium from the former Libyan leader. However, these movements gradually lost momentum and the name “Gaddafi Stadium” remained.