[3][4] Named after Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the stadium was built in the 1970s by Chinese State Construction Engineering for hosting the 1978 Asian Games, which were ultimately shifted to Bangkok.
[4][3] The Liaquat Gymnasium nearby was formally inaugurated as part of the complex when Pakistan played host to the seventh 1984 Asian Table Tennis Championships.
[17] The stadium was first renovated to serve as host for the South Asian Games in 1989 with help of Chinese engineers.
[5] After years of inactivity due to the ban on Pakistan Football Federation by FIFA, the stadium served as host after 11 years since Pakistan ever held an international football event, for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification on 17 October 2023, which resulted in Pakistan's first ever victory in a World Cup qualifying match against Cambodia.
[18] For the matches at the next round, the stadium went more reforms upgrading the floodlights and seats.