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A Hockey Player from Bajaur, a Chief Minister’s Assurance, and the Ground Reality of Sports in Former FATA

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  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow ,Digital Creator When a young hockey player from Bajaur picks up the phone to speak directly to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it may sound like a small personal victory. In reality, it reflects something much larger. Mehran’s contact with Chief Minister Sohail Afridi over issues related to hockey facilities and FATA Games highlights both the promise and the persistent failures of sports governance in the former tribal districts. It is a moment that carries hope, but also demands accountability. Mehran’s concerns were simple, factual, and hard to dismiss. The condition of the hockey ground in Bajaur is poor. The artificial turf receives water for barely thirty minutes a day. There is no permanent ground man. Maintenance is irregular, and basic facilities that should be taken for granted are missing. These are not luxury demands. They are minimum requirements for any athlete who is expected to train, compete, and improve. The Chief Min...
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When Amateurs Run Sports, Athletes Fall: The Bannu Incident Is Not an Accident, It Is an Indictment

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  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow ,Digital Creator Every time a young athlete collapses on the field, the same script follows. Statements are issued. Regret is expressed. Committees are formed. A few days later, silence returns. The incident is quietly filed away as an “unfortunate accident.” What happened in peshawar with Bannu player, where a student athlete from Government High School Mumkhel Bannu fell during an inter-school event, fits this familiar pattern. But calling it an accident is dishonest. It was the direct result of a broken system that continues to hand sports over to people who neither understand it nor are trained to manage it. The uncomfortable question must be asked, clearly and without hesitation: Why is the secretary or chief organizer of inter-school games usually a school principal? What professional relationship does a principal have with sports management, athlete safety, or injury prevention? A school principal is an administrator and an educationist...
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Fake International Glory: How Exhibition Martial Arts Events Turned Into a Funding Scam

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  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow ,Digital Creator For the past several years, a troubling pattern has taken root in Pakistan’s martial arts scene, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Under the banner of “international competitions,” dozens of so called athletes travel to countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Dubai, and Indonesia, return with medals, wave the Pakistani flag, and present themselves as national heroes. On social media they are celebrated as champions. In official files, they are treated as achievers. In reality, most of these events are little more than exhibitions with no sporting value, no credible federation backing, and no legitimate pathway through recognized competitive structures. The issue is not international exposure. The issue is deception. A large number of these athletes have no verifiable record at the grassroots level. They have not won inter club competitions. They have not qualified at district level. They have not stood out at provincial championships...
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Culture Without the “U”, Authority Without the “A”: KP’s New Board of Missing Letters

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  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow , Digital Creator Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has officially launched a new authority to promote culture, tourism, and sports. The ambition is grand, the claims are impressive, and the files are full of promises. But one glance at the authority’s own signboard in Peshawar’s Saddar area raises serious questions about the system behind these claims. The sign was supposed to read: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cultural and Tourism Authority What actually greets visitors is a puzzling version that seems more like an English puzzle than a government office. The word Cultural is missing its “U.” Authority has lost its “A,” “O,” and “Y.” In short, the authority exists, but its own letters seem to have gone on strike. The institution is here, but its signage can barely identify itself. At first glance, this might seem like a minor spelling mistake. But the reality is deeper—and far more ironic. This is the very office tasked with promoting culture and tourism. La...
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Paper Clubs, Phantom Players and the Erasure of Women in Merged Districts Sports

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  Musarrat Ullah Jan  , KikxNow ,Digital Creator If official data alone were to be believed, the merged tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have quietly become the most vibrant sports hubs in the province. Hundreds of registered sports clubs. Thousands of registered athletes. An administrative success story that, on paper, outperforms even Peshawar, Abbottabad, Mardan, Charsadda and Nowshera combined. But step outside the files and reports, and the picture collapses. According to official records of the Directorate of Sports for the years 2020–21 and 2021–22, Bajaur has 204 registered sports clubs with 3,708 male athletes. Khyber boasts 346 clubs and 4,506 athletes. Mohmand has 260 clubs and 3,016 athletes. Kurram lists 314 clubs and 3,706 athletes. Orakzai has 172 clubs and 2,204 athletes. North Waziristan records 264 clubs with 3,504 athletes, while South Waziristan shows 270 clubs and 3,464 athletes. These numbers are impressive. Almost too impressive. There is, ho...
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National Games or National Failure? Afghan Players, Silent Authorities, and the Cost Paid by Pakistani Athletes

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  Musarrat Ullah  Jan – KikxNow , Digital Creator The National Games are meant to be the highest domestic sporting platform in Pakistan. They exist to identify talent, reward years of hard work, and give Pakistani athletes a fair chance to compete, progress, and represent their country. What unfolded at the recent National Games in Karachi, however, raises serious questions about whether that purpose still holds. The participation of Afghan players under Pakistani provincial banners is not just a controversy. It is a symptom of deeper administrative decay, weak governance, and a troubling indifference toward athletes’ rights. This issue is not about nationality in isolation. It is about process, transparency, and fairness. When non-citizens compete in an event designed specifically for Pakistani athletes, without clear rules or disclosure, the entire system loses credibility. What makes the situation worse is not only what happened on the field, but what followed off it: s...
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Eighty Million Rupees on Wheels, Zero Accountability on Foot

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  Musarrat Ullah Jan – KikxNow , Digital Creator If satire were a sport, our sports administration would be Olympic level. Unfortunately, what we are witnessing is not satire written by a columnist. It is satire performed by the system itself, live, without shame, and funded by public money. The latest episode comes from Peshawar Sports Complex, where a turf cleaning machine worth around eighty million rupees was recently “deployed” to Swabi for cleaning a hockey turf. Deployed is the official word. Dragged would be the honest one. After nearly two years of standing idle, the machine was finally moved. Not started. Not operated. Moved. Its tyres had no air. Its engine had no urgency. And the system behind it had no answers. The machine was pushed by hand and loaded onto a vehicle, in a scene that looked less like public service and more like a village ritual. The comparison that immediately came to mind was how sacrificial animals are forced into pickup trucks before Eid. Sam...
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Four-Day Sports Festival for Orphan and Underprivileged Children Kicks Off in Peshawar

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  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow , Digital Creator A four-day sports festival for orphan and underprivileged children has formally begun at the Model Institute for State Children “Zamung Kor” on Charsadda Road, Peshawar, under the auspices of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Department. The festival features a range of sports competitions and recreational activities aimed at providing healthy entertainment while identifying and encouraging young talent. The opening ceremony was attended by Advisor for Sports and Youth Affairs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Taj Muhammad Tarand as the chief guest. Secretary Sports KP Muhammad Asif Khan, Director General Sports Tashfeen Haider, Director Zamung Kor Sadaqat Ullah, Deputy Director Riaz Khan, Additional DG Sports Rashida Ghaznavi, Director Operations Jamshed Baloch, and other senior officials were also present. During the ceremony, children from Zamung Kor presented impressive martial arts demonstrations and a traditional Attan dance, which received...
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Serious Questions Raised Over Swabi Hockey Turf: Installed Turf Found Damaged and Defective from the Start

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  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow , Digitial Creator Serious concerns have emerged over the hockey turf constructed in Swabi, reportedly found damaged, cracked, and defective at the time of installation. Under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, information has been formally requested from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Directorate, District Sports Office, and district administration of Swabi regarding the project’s construction, funding, and current status. The RTI request seeks to clarify when the Swabi hockey turf was built and the total funds allocated for the project. It also asks for a detailed budget breakdown, funding sources, and relevant financial year information, to determine how public money was spent on the project. The request further seeks information on the company or contractor responsible for the turf installation and the source of the turf. Of particular concern is whether the turf was new or previously used, and whether proper quality checks were conducted at...
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Six Months Into 2025–26: The Provincial Sports Directorate Between Paper Claims and Ground Reality

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  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow , Digitial Creator Six months of the 2025–26 financial year are already behind us. This is usually the period when a public department’s direction becomes visible and its priorities translate into action. In the case of the Provincial Sports Directorate, however, these six months raise a far more uncomfortable question: what, exactly, has been achieved for sport on the ground? This is not a question for critics alone. It is a question the officers sitting inside the Sports Directorate and its attached bodies should be asking themselves. With 2026 just around the corner, the real story of these six months is not about athlete development or grassroots activity, but about who benefited administratively and financially while sport itself remained stagnant. Across nearly thirty five districts, the situation varies in detail but not in outcome. In several districts, District Sports Offices exist only as buildings. The position of District Sports Offi...
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