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BEYOND THE FINISH LINE: Is Bureaucracy Killing KP’s Sports Potential?

  Musarrat Ullah Jan – KikxNow , Digital Creator PESHAWAR: While the playing fields of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are often celebrated for producing world-class talent, a different kind of game is being played within the corridors of power—one where the rules change every few months and the players in charge rarely stay long enough to finish the match. The provincial government recently took a landmark step in the Department of Commerce Education and Management Sciences by decreeing that leadership roles (BPS-19) must stay within their own professional cadre. It was a victory for institutional expertise. Yet, just across the administrative divide, the KP Sports Directorate remains trapped in a cycle of "bureaucratic tourism" that critics say is stifling the future of the province’s youth. For years, the Sports Directorate has been treated as a "transit station" for the Provincial Management Service (PMS) and other non-related cadres. Officers with no background i...

DG Sports KP Takes Notice of Issues in Peshawar Sports Complex Tartan Track, Orders Daily Monitoring

  Musarrat Ullah Jan – KikxNow , Digital Creator Director General Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Tashfeen Haider, has taken notice of reported issues in the newly constructed tartan track at the Peshawar Sports Complex and conducted an inspection visit to assess the quality of work. During the visit, the DG Sports, accompanied by former athlete and Director of Imran Khan Cricket Stadium, inspected the tartan track and held discussions with the contractor regarding the ongoing construction. Complaints had been received that the track was not being developed according to the required standards and specifications. Following the inspection, DG Sports KP summoned athletics coach Zafran to review the technical aspects of the track. The coach briefed the contractor on ground-related requirements and highlighted areas where further improvement was possible. To ensure quality control, DG Sports KP directed that coach Zafran be formally assigned to monitor the project on a daily basis. T...

Peshawar Sports Complex Tartan Track Faces Delays – National Games conclude, Costs Rise, Sports Directorate Maintains Silence

  Musarrat Ullah Jan – KikxNow , Digital Creator The ongoing Tartan track project in the Sports Complex, Peshawar, is also suffering from extreme delays and confused decisions and a complete lack of response from the concerned authorities. Because of the delay, now the National Games have taken place without the facility getting completed, which is now causing extreme problems for the players, especially in athletic and football events. In the recently concluded National Games at Karachi, the athletes from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were fortunate to take home just one bronze medal in athletics. The reasons cited by athletes for such low performance are the lack of a proper Tartan track. Before the Games took place, it was guaranteed by athletes that it would be finished within a month. Nonetheless, several months after, it is still unfinished. The project originally targeted for completion in August 2024 has not only caused delays but has moved at a snail pace without anything happe...

The Merged Districts Sports Directorate: Where the Game is Played in Files, Not Fields

  Musarratullah Jan , Kikxnow , digital creator “The Merged Districts Sports Directorate! It is not an average government department. It is a whole state of being, a whole philosophy of life. In this world, games are a rare occasion, while acrobatic performances are frequent. It is not sportsmen who take part in racing, it is documents. It is not the ground that harbors the goal, it is the office.” As this region was previously known as FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas), there is an unwritten constitution in play even at this point in time, “Asking is forbidden, speaking is dangerous, and questioning is professional suicide.” No one in this place asks questions, period, and if a soul dares to make the mistake of inquiring, he or she immediately gets the reminder: "This is the Merged Districts! Rules don't reign supreme, persons do." Deputation officers come like it's a picnic, but they can’t remember how to leave, as if they lost their ID card. With t...

KP Government Summons 22 Officials Over Alleged Irregularities in Sports Development Schemes

  Musarrat Ullah Jan – KikxNow , Digital Creator The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has launched a formal investigation into alleged financial and administrative irregularities in two major sports infrastructure projects, summoning 22 officials from multiple provincial departments to appear before the Provincial Inspection Team (PIT). According to official records, the inquiry has been initiated by the Planning and Development Department following reports of unauthorized expenditures, procedural violations, and deviations from approved project plans under the Annual Development Programme (ADP). The investigation concerns two province-wide schemes: “Development of Various Sports Facilities and Repair of Existing Facilities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” (ADP No. 1899/18052), and “Construction of Playgrounds at Union Council Level” (ADP No. 1972/210575). Under a formal memorandum issued by the authorities, the summoned officers have been directed to appear before the PIT on the sp...

High-value bicycles donated by the UNDP go missing in the merged districts sports directorate, as RTI revelations indicate.

  Musarrat Ullah Jan – KikxNow , Digital Creator A serious lapse in accountability has been highlighted in the Merged Districts Sports Directorate of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where costly bicycles donated by the UNDP for the benefit of athletes have become untraceable and official records are not available. This was revealed through responses under the Right to Information Act. As per the RTI replies, the UNDP donated around 12 high-quality bicycles to the erstwhile FATA Sports Directorate, now Merged Districts Sports Directorate after the merger in 2018. These were reportedly handed over to a coach named Imran Khan for use in training or competitions. However, when asked about the procedure for formal issuance, purpose of distribution, stock entry in official registers, or deposit in the directorate's stores, the department replied that no such record exists. A follow-up RTI response in 2025 explained that the office of the directorate had been shifted from the old FATA Secreta...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Directorate Under Scrutiny: An Inquiry That Exposes a System, Not Just Files

  Musarrat ullah Jan – KikxNow , Digital Creator What began as a routine enquiry ordered by the Minister for Sports in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is fast turning into an uncomfortable mirror for the entire sports administration. The scope of information demanded from the Sports Directorate is so wide, and so detailed, that it automatically forces a fundamental question: was this merely mismanagement, or a sustained pattern of abuse carried out under the cover of development projects? The investigation pertains to two different projects: most notably, the much-publicized "One Thousand Sports Facilities" scheme, and development works claimed at the Union Council level. On paper, these programs were undertaken to decentralize sports infrastructure and create opportunities for youth at the grassroots. In actuality, as the question marks of inquiry would suggest, these projects have become convenient conduits for irregular spending, non-transparent decision-making, and favoritism. T...

letter to president of pakistan and prime minister of pakistan

  Respected Sir, President of Pakistan Mr. Asif Ali Zardari Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr. Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif President Pakistan Football Federation Mr. Mohsin Gilani With due respect, I wish to submit that the recent incident involving the alleged arrest and subsequent release of two elected Congress Members of the Pakistan Football Federation, followed by conflicting statements, press releases, and video messages, has caused serious concern at the national level. More importantly, it has damaged the credibility, institutional seriousness, and international standing of Pakistan football and the Federation. It is deeply troubling that the explanations issued in relation to this incident are mutually contradictory. This has created the impression that instead of a transparent, fact-based process, the matter has been advanced through a pre-determined and managed narrative. According to available information, one Congress Member was taken into police custody at ap...

National Games: A Tournament of Defeats, A Culture of Excuses, and an Escape from Responsibility

  Musarrat Ullah Jan – KikxNow ,digital creator As the National Games in Karachi move toward their conclusion, the event has once again exposed the cracks in our sports system—cracks that we have long tried to cover with temporary paint instead of real repairs. Sporting events are supposed to teach us something new, but these Games have forced us to think more deeply about the structural flaws we continue to ignore. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s contingent arrived in Karachi with heavy slogans, louder promises, and the kind of confidence that makes one believe medals will appear as soon as the team steps on the field. But reality was unforgiving. When it came to hockey, women’s football, wushu, and archery, the enthusiasm that was so visible at the time of departure dissolved almost immediately upon arrival. Interestingly, KP held a strong position during the first two days—second only to departmental teams. But as the third day’s standings were released, everything shifted. Punjab cl...

Wacky Race of the National Games: When Google Maps Became the Coach

Musarrat Ullah  Jan – KikxNow, digital Creator The recent National Games in Karachi were not just competitions; they became a public inquiry into the state of sports administration in Pakistan. Athletes spent more time searching for rickshaws and venues than preparing for victory. A viral audio of the DG Sports for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa finally brought this state of mismanagement into the public spotlight. The sports arena today reverberates not with applause and whistles but with a WhatsApp viral audio of the Director General, Sports, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, letting off steam at the total lack of facilities, and the logistical nightmares in Karachi. DG's Grievances: "This isn't Peshawar, where you can head straight to Saddar! This is Karachi, where you set out for the Small Industrial Area and end up in Korangi! It's not the destinations this city changes; it's the people." This was more than a complaint; it was a candid confession that when venues are scatt...