The International status of Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium becomes in danger because of the construction of outer wall of the most talk about park funded by USAID.
The park wall is being constructed in the historical Shahi Bagh in front of the main gates that completely blocks the passage to the Stadium as well as to Pakistan Tennis Club and Gymkhana Cricket ground.
This was stated by Syed Fayyaz Ali Shah, President Peshawar District Cricket Association, during a press conference on Monday.
Flanked by representative of the of various clubs, Syed Fayyaz Ali Shah, younger brother of Health Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Syed Zahir Ali, said that after the construction of the most disputed wall of the Park at Shahi Bagh, the main entrance to the Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium, Pakistan Tennis Club and Gymkhana ground would be blocked.
We appeal to the Chief Justice Peshawar High Court to take notice of the situation.
He said that the wall also blocks way to Pakistan Tennis Club, and Gymkhana ground, which were inaugurated by founder of the national Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah during his visit to Peshawar way back 1946 and, Fayyaz Ali Shah added.
He said efforts on the part of the government and Pakistan Cricket Board continued to bring the international cricket back to Pakistan and certainly Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium was considered one of the best in Pakistan but with the blocking of the main gate, it would be difficult to hold international events.
We are going to file petition againstthe illegal construction besides holding protest demonstrations and even setting up protest camps in front of the Press Club and Peshawar High Court,” he informed.
He said nobody was taking ownership of the historical Peshawar that was why the city is going to lose going to lose its old status.
Qabza groups which have encroached even graveyards, roads, parks and now grounds, are taking over the metropolis, he added. Peshawar once known as city of flowers and is now famous for being the oldest living city of South Asia, but now buses, coaches stands, construction of illegal buildings, the ancient Peshawar is now vanishing before our very eyes, he maintained.
Syed Fayyaz Ali said there was no plan to keep the city green and clean while the dilapidated roads depicted a picture of ghost city, he
He said, recently, the Chief Minister announced floodlights for the Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium worth Rs70 million besides the sports ministry had allocated a grant of Rs40 million for its renovations and soon work on that would be be completed.
He said construction of the said wall would create hindrance in the way of logistics to the Stadium through heavy trucks besides making the task of the truck, OB Vans of the National and international media very difficult.
He said during the afternoon more than 2500 children daily turned up for different sporting and recreational activities. The wall will displace these children, aded. .
The Pakistan Cricket Board had announced construction of an indoor cricket academy and other developmental work, he said and added, all these efforts will go waste.
