The Arbab family of Peshawar “strongly” rejected on Saturday the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s decision to change the name of Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium in the provincial capital and demanded PTI leadership to withdraw its decision.

Arbab Khizar Hayat and Arbab Zarak Khan told reporters that the PTI government’s decision to rename the famous stadium as Imran Khan Stadium was “unacceptable.”

Zarak said that the Arbab family would challenge “this irrational decision in the court of law.”

Earlier this week, the provincial government decided to rename the Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium—the only international cricket venue in the province—as the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium. The decision aims to recognise the former prime minister’s contributions to the development of sports in the country.

On Friday, the KP government approved the renaming of the stadium.

The Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium has undergone significant transformations since its transfer from the municipal corporation to the sports board, with the provincial government spearheading its development in 1986-87, according to a summary approved by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Thursday.

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The stadium received further enhancements in preparation for the 1996 World Cup, which was co-hosted by India and Pakistan.

Over the years, the stadium has served as a venue for various cricketing events, including test matches, one-day internationals, first-class matches, and inter-club tournaments. Following its upgrades, it has welcomed teams from all major cricketing nations such as Australia, England, South Africa, the West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, India, and Zimbabwe for both test and ODI formats.