PCB backtracks from building stadium in Shakarparian

Accuses CDA of failing to fulfill responsibility, expresses willingness to look at alternative sites

ISLAMABAD: Even though the current reigning Pakistani Super League (PSL) champions are called ‘Islamabad United’, chances that they will ever perform in front of their ‘home crowd’ at the underconstruction stadium in the city seem to have all but vanished after the top cricketing body in the country poured cold water on that dream.

When a three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC), headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, resumed hearing on a civil petition filed by the Margalla Hills National Park Society (MHNPS) President Roedad Khan against the construction of a cricket stadium in the protected forest area of Shakarparian on Friday, the head of the cricketing body appeared before the court.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Najam Sethi told the apex court that the board was not interested in building a cricket stadium in the Shakarparian area of the capital.



“We are not interested in building a cricket stadium in the Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP),” Sethi told the court.

He elaborated that while plans for building a stadium in Shakarparian had been initiated by the PCB in 2008, he had contested the proposed site for the stadium when he became the chairman of the PCB.

Sethi, however, maintained that the PCB was deeply interested in building a cricket stadium in the capital at a site not located in the national park.

The PCB chairman, though, laid the blame for the fiasco squarely on the Capital Development Authority (CDA), stating that the authority was responsible for making sure that land for the stadium is not allotted in the national park.

At this, Chief Justice Nisar remarked, “We support sports, as sports provides healthy activity and we will assist you (PCB) in allotment of land for construction of a cricket stadium in Islamabad.”

Earlier during the Friday’s proceeding, Roedad told the court that the Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) was comprised of a beautiful valley where stone crushing and tree cutting was allowed to some influential people.

He pointed out that after court’s orders, the stone crushing and tree-felling operations were halted.

At this, the chief justice asked whether the cricket stadium could be built in the Shakarparian area and whether the area was part of the national park.

Roedad replied that there was ambiguity about the delimitation of the national park while maintaining that areas falling under the park’s limits were protected by a legal cover.

At this, CJP Nisar remarked that limits of the MHNP should be ascertained to determine whether Shakarparian was the part of the national park or not.

“In case it lies in the national park, then the cricket stadium cannot be built there,” CJ Nisar said.

At this, Additional Attorney General Waqar Rana told the court that the proposed site for the cricket stadium lies within the limits of the MHNP.

Moreover, he maintained that the PCB had requested the CDA to allot 48 acres of land to build the stadium in 2008.

The government’s lawyer added that the CDA had stopped construction work on the cricket stadium in 2013 after the deal with the PCB did not mature.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2018.