Punjab Chief Minister, Chaudhary Parvez Elahi has revealed the plan to construct a five-star complex near Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore which will make it easier for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to host top international teams. The construction of the hotel near the stadium will help in providing better security to the visiting team while also solving the traffic issues caused by such tours.
According to details, the 25-story complex will cost approximately $1 billion to build and the majority cost of the project will be funded by the government of the United Arab Emirates. CM Punjab revealed that 70 percent of the cost will be provided by the UAE government while 30 percent will be covered by the Punjab government.
The complex is set to include a five-star hotel alongside a high-performance center for the players. It was also revealed that a tunnel will be constructed which will lead from the complex directly to the stadium in order to provide foolproof security to the visiting teams.
The location of the complex is not yet revealed but it is expected that it will be in the Nishtar Park Sports Complex, where Gaddafi Stadium is located.
Pakistan is looking to improve the infrastructure in and around the stadiums as they look forward to the resumption of cricketing activities in the country. Pakistan recently hosted Australia and are set to host England and New Zealand in the upcoming season. The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is also scheduled to be held in Pakistan.
Great, but wondering what happened to the announcement by PCB chairman Ramiz Raja in October 2020 that a 5-star hotel will be built near the National Stadium Karachi by the businessman Mr. Abdul Karim Dhedi.
Shall we consider it yet another false promise for Karachi by the ‘federal bureaucracy’ of Pakistan.