After 14 days of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s death, who was a close aide of former PM and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the Punjab government has swung in action to change the name of Gaddafi Stadium named after the slain leader 36 years ago in 1974.
The ground was originally named Lahore Stadium but renamed in 1974 in honour of Gaddafi after a rousing speech he gave at the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) meeting in Lahore in favour of Pakistan’s right to pursue nuclear weapons. The dramatic development unrolled when the CM’s Secretariat received an application dispatched by Punjab Olympics Association (PbOA) Secretary Idrees Haider Khawaja two weeks ago. The application recommended CM Shahbaz Sharif to rename Gaddafi Stadium after national heroes amid a heated debate amongst the public and even on social networking sites that no buildings should remain attached with Gaddafi, who earned notoriety as dictator of the Arab World in Libya for 42 years, his nexus with terrorist groups and refusal to step down despite a burgeoning tide of change for democracy.
Soon after NATO forces and Libyan rebels started their drive against the dictator, Gaddafi, in his speech to the nation, had termed Pakistan and Afghanistan as countries “dictated by the US” and called upon his countrymen to stop Libya from becoming either of the two countries. His negative remarks against Pakistan had hurt many, as he was respected in Pakistan due to his closeness with Bhutto and some contributions he had made to the country’s economy. Soon after his speech, people took to social networking sites to urge renaming of the stadium due to the dictator’s anti-Pakistan remarks.
The PbOA secretary, in his letter, said that Gaddafi Stadium be renamed as Jinnah Stadium, Nishtar Stadium, Liaqat Stadium or after the Pakistan Movement’s leading dignitaries who gave their blood for Pakistan. “The Punjab government has absolute power to change the name of Gaddafi Stadium, as the building and plot where the stadium is situated belongs to the Punjab Sport Board,” Khawaja said, while talking to Pakistan Today. He urged the CM to materialise the resolution without any delay. Punjab government spokesman Pervaiz Rashid said that the government would prefer to restore the original name of Gaddafi Stadium. “Its original name was Lahore Stadium but changed afterwards,” he added. Rashid said that the original name should never be changed, as every name carried its own background, history and significance. About ownership of Gaddafi Stadium, he said that it might be property of the Pakistan Cricket Board but if it was confirmed that it belonged to the Punjab government, the decision was loud and clear that the original of name of Gaddafi Stadium would be restored.
All over Africa, impoverished nations have Gaddafi Conference Centres and Gaddafi Stadiums all paid for with Libyan oil money–not to mention the roads renamed in his honour. Some nations have already begun the process of cleansing Gaddafi’s name from their landmarks. In Sudan, Khartoum’s Burj Alfateh Hotel–named after the date of the 1969 Libyan Revolution and known locally as “Gaddafi’s Egg”-has quietly reverted to the name of its parent company, becoming the Corinthia Hotel. The issue to rename Gaddafi Stadium made headlines even in life of the dictator. Despite his volatile persona as a dictator, people had mixed feelings about him. Some quarters commended him for being among the group of Muslim leaders who challenged Western domination and sought real independence for their nations. Once, former US President Ronald Reagan had called Gaddafi a “mad dog”. Likeminded people discouraged all moves to change the name of Gaddafi Stadium and other buildings, which are named after Gaddafi in different parts of the world.
Various groups expressed hatred against Gaddafi for his ardent efforts to keep intact his dictatorship and cruel regime usurping fundamental rights of the people by hook or crook. Some termed him a “wild terrorist” after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest for crimes against humanity. His death scenario even forced his fans to change their mind when he was caught and killed scrambling into a water pipe for cover and later according to some reports was sodomised. After his death, inflammable debate unfurled about renaming of Gaddafi Stadium. Online polls suggested naming the stadium after Imran Khan, a son of Lahore and a cricketer-turned-politician who rocked everyone by his new debut as a crowd puller after organising a thunderous show of strength at Minar-e-Pakistan. Other proposals include commemorating former national cricket team coach Bob Woolmer, who was murdered in 2007 or Aleem Dar, who has been thrice named the ICC Umpire of the Year. Some voices favoured Abdul Hafiz Kardar, who was Pakistan’s first official Test captain. The most compelling argument in his favour is that without him the stadium might not be what it is today. Kardar was appointed head of the Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan (BCCP)-as the board was known in April 1972 by Bhutto, whom he was close to. Control of Lahore Stadium, as it was known back then, was also given to the BCCP and it was Kardar who decided to set up the board’s offices there. Senator Tariq Azeem said that changing the name would mean turning away from historical connections. “He’s become a baddy now but if you go down that path we would have to change a lot of roads’ names,” he said.
Gaddafi Stadium, which is located around Nishtar Park Sports Complex and surrounded by hockey and football stadiums, hosted the final of the 1996 World Cup. It was constructed in the late 1950’s.
Gaddafi is dead, why keep his name
