ISLAMABAD: The heads of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Friday discussed various proposals for the construction of the first ever cricket stadium in Islamabad for international cricket.

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja and CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed and other officers held a virtual meeting and decided that both the organisations through a joint venture would construct the high-tech stadium.

Sources said it was also decided that the CDA would provide land while the PCB would construct and operate the facility. However, the civic agency will remain part of the project.

“Today, it was our first meeting and we decided that a stadium will be built in Islamabad and we will provide land to PCB. Modalities for the joint venture and site of the stadium will be finalised in the next meeting which will be held in a couple of weeks,” said an officer of the CDA.

He said the project was meant to promote cricket in the federal capital which will also generate revenue for both the organisations.

It is relevant to note here that in 2012 both the organisations had also joined hands for the construction of a stadium but in 2018 the project was scrapped by the Supreme Court as it was being built in Shakarparian, which is part of the Margalla Hills National Park.

“The site of the new stadium will be finalised soon,” the CDA officer said.

A three-member SC bench headed by then chief justice Mian Saqib Nisar ruled that a cricket stadium could not be constructed in Shakarparian.

Following the court directive, the CDA took over control of the under-construction stadium and restored the site through tree plantations.

On the directive of the apex court, the CDA also confiscated Rs5 million deposited in its accounts by the PCB for the project.

A few days ago, the PCB was given the go-ahead by Prime Minister Imran Khan to establish a stadium in Islamabad by 2025.

The decision was taken at a meeting between the prime minister and the PCB chairman.

An official of PCB told Dawn that Pakistan was going to host the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and the board would try its best to complete the stadium for holding some of the matches in Islamabad.

Currently, Islamabad has several cricket stadiums where domestic matches are held but none of them meets the international standards.

CDA officials said the ideal place for a cricket stadium was in the Shakarparian area near Islamabad Sports Complex. However, as per the statutory regulatory order (SRO) issued by the federal government in 1981, this area is included in the national park area.

They said as per the original master plan of Islamabad, around 5,000 acres in Shakarparian had been reserved for sports and recreational activities.

In accordance with the master plan, the government in 1970s constructed the sports complex but later the area was included in the national park.

However, the CDA officials hinted that the SRO of 1981 could be repealed through a new one.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2022