What if: India had won the 1996 World Cup at Lahore

3. Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore would have been gifted to India as a goodwill gesture by Pakistan

Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Ever since the partition in 1947, the relationship between India and Pakistan has been one of mistrust and hatred. The two estranged neighbours have fought wars aplenty, and it still looks like a distant dream when the situation returns back to normalcy.

But imagine what could have happened if India had won the 1996 tournament on Pakistani soil. The crowd would not have been too pleased and there could have been some crowd violence too. But given the magnitude of the occasion, the then Prime Minister of Benazir Bhutto could have won many hearts and votes.

She too, like any other Pakistani, would have been disappointed to see their arch-rival being crowned as champions. So in a bid to gain some brownie points from the international community, she could have given the Gaddafi stadium to India.

The explanation she would have given to her fellow countrymen would have been that Pakistan would not keep a piece of land which had helped their rivals become world champions. In this way, on one hand at home she would have shown that Pakistanis are too proud to keep a land which betrayed them, and on the other hand in international forums it would have been seen as a goodwill gesture.