The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has initiated steps to revise the ‘Naming and Renaming of Public Places Rules 1994’ following the contentious renaming of the Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium in Peshawar. A formal letter has been submitted to the secretary of sports, culture, and tourism proposing amendments to the existing regulations governing local councils.
Notably, the government is considering allowing public places to be named after living individuals, a significant shift from current practice. The letter suggests modifying Rule 5 to reduce the mandatory waiting period for renaming from 50 years to 30 years.
Meanwhile, the renaming has sparked legal proceedings at the Peshawar High Court, where the decision to rename the stadium after Imran Khan has been challenged. The petition, filed by Advocate Ali Gohar Durrani on behalf of Arbab Amjad Ali, contests the renaming on the grounds that public places cannot be renamed within 50 years and objects to naming places after living persons.
During a recent hearing, the PHC directed the provincial administration to submit its response within a week. The court also instructed the government’s legal representative to provide all relevant documents by the same deadline and postponed further hearings until April 21.
The controversy stems from the KP government’s decision last year to rename the stadium, originally named after Arbab Niaz Muhammad, a former federal sports minister from Peshawar, who was honored when the stadium was constructed in 1984. This move has faced opposition from various political factions and individuals, leading to the ongoing judicial review.
