Punjab cabinet rejects proposal to rename Lahore's Gaddafi stadium

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

During the 22nd meeting of the provincial cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, various agenda points were discussed, including the establishment of electric vehicle charging stations.

However, the cabinet decided against renaming the iconic stadium. This decision comes in the wake of Karachi’s National Stadium being renamed National Bank Cricket Arena in 2022.

The idea of renaming Gaddafi Stadium was initially raised in 2022 when former PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja suggested the stadium be renamed after a new sponsor, citing financial reasons behind the proposed change.

While Raja succeeded in renaming Karachi's National Stadium, the fate of Gaddafi Stadium remains uncertain.

This is not the first time authorities have considered 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.

Following Gaddafi’s ouster from power, there were calls to dissociate the stadium from the former Libyan leader. However, these movements gradually lost momentum, and the name “Gaddafi Stadium” has remained.