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The Ghost Gear of KP: How a merged Sports Directorate Lost the Plot

    Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow , Digital Creator In what plays out like a dark comedy written by a bored clerk, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) merged Sports Directorate has managed to turn sports development into a disappearing act. We’re talking about a scandal involving "expired" shoes, cricket bats found in trash heaps, and high-end bicycles that seem to have vanished into thin air.It’s easy to laugh at the absurdity, but for the tribal youth waiting for a fair shot at a game, this isn't a joke—it’s a betrayal. The Directorate’s defense for stashing cricket gear in piles of refuse? "It was old." Let’s be real: cricket balls don't have a "best before" date like a carton of milk. If the gear was genuinely unusable, there should be a paper trail—purchase dates, damage reports, disposal logs. Instead, we found equipment dumped like junk. When you treat the tools of a young athlete’s dream as literal garbage, you’re telling them exactly how much...

Cricket Returns to Peshawar: National T20 Tournament Back at Imran Khan Stadium

    Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow , Digital Creator Cricket fans in Peshawar have a reason to celebrate: the National T20 Tournament is officially returning to Imran Khan Cricket Stadium! Yes, the very stadium that once electrified the city with the thrill of high-stakes cricket will now host this year’s national T20 matches. According to sources, the tournament matches will kick off in Peshawar starting tomorrow, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will formally notify the provincial government about the hosting arrangements today. Officials say the move was designed not only to promote sports in the province but also to give fans a chance to watch top-level cricket live. Originally, the tournament was scheduled for another city, but thanks to the provincial government’s intervention and the enthusiasm of local cricket lovers, Peshawar has regained its central role. The administration claims that Imran Khan Stadium has top-notch facilities suitable for both players an...

World T20 Failure: Players Fined, Officials Silent

  Musarrat Ullah Jan  , KikxNow , Digital Creator The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly fined players 5 million PKR over the national team’s poor performance in the World T20. While this decision has once again put the spotlight on the players’ performance, it raises a fundamental issue: punishing only the players does not solve the problem—it addresses just a small part of it. The first question that arises is: what accountability exists for those who select players and make strategic decisions? Are players alone responsible for underperformance, or do the selectors and management, whose policies and choices directly affect the team, share equal responsibility? In reality, players merely play the game; it is the decision-makers who shape the team’s performance. If a team consistently fails, the blame must also extend to the administration, coaching, and selection criteria. Second, what about those who mismanage players? In cricket, it is common for a player’s ...

Seven Months of Silence: What the KP Sports Directorate’s RTI Evasion Reveals About Governance, Secrecy and Public Money

  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow , Digital Creator In any functioning democracy, the right to information is not a courtesy. It is a mechanism of control. It allows citizens to audit power without occupying office. It forces institutions to justify expenditure, explain decisions and maintain records that can withstand scrutiny. When that mechanism is obstructed, the issue is never procedural. It is structural. On 4 July 2025, a formal request was submitted to the Public Information Officer of the Directorate of Sports, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the KP Right to Information Act 2013. The request was neither complicated nor politically explosive. It asked for data that any organized department should be able to produce within days: the number of CCTV cameras installed at Peshawar Sports Complex, their operational status, installation dates, maintenance costs and vendor details. It also sought information on computers in use at the Directorate, their procurement history, functional st...

Pakistan Taekwondo in Crisis: Tribunal Verdict Exposes Governance Failures, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Hit Hardest

  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow , Digital Creator Pakistan’s taekwondo structure is once again mired in administrative conflict, legal challenges, and provincial inequities. The recent tribunal verdict directing the Pakistan Sports Board to grant affiliation to the Balochistan Taekwondo Association and declaring the January 2026 elections of the Pakistan Taekwondo Federation unlawful has exposed deep structural flaws in the sport’s governance. The directive nullifying all decisions taken after January 1 has further intensified the crisis, casting doubt over selections, training camps, and national representation carried out during this period. This is not merely a provincial dispute. It is a systemic failure that raises serious questions about sports governance in Pakistan. If federation elections themselves violate rules, then every decision taken under that leadership becomes ethically and legally questionable. As usual, the primary victims are the athletes. Khyber Pakhtunkh...

Weight Loss Drugs in Pakistan: Usage, Risks, and Global Sports Perspective

  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow Digital Creator The growing focus on physical fitness among Pakistan’s youth, coupled with rising obesity rates, has led to a surge in the use of weight loss drugs. Medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Semaglutide are becoming increasingly popular in the country, despite limited public awareness about their potential risks and misuse. Globally, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has increased monitoring of these drugs due to concerns that they may give elite athletes an unfair advantage. In Pakistan and other countries, the non-therapeutic use of these drugs is also on the rise. Semaglutide-based drugs were initially developed for patients with diabetes. They help reduce weight by improving insulin sensitivity and suppressing appetite. However, in recent years, these medications have become popular for non-medical use as well. Ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics , WADA has begun evaluating the possibility of banning these drugs. The ag...

The Curious Case of the Missing Fleet: How 20 Government Vehicles Went on an Unofficial Vacation

  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow Digital Creator In a province where athletes struggle for travel allowances, grounds lack basic facilities, and coaches double as clerks, the most well-funded sports delegation appears to be… the السيارات themselves. Yes, the official fleet of the سپورٹس ڈائریکٹوریٹ خیبرپختونخوا seems to have mastered the art of strategic disappearance better than any professional magician. According to sources, twenty government vehicles quietly slipped out of the system. No dramatic heist. No Hollywood-style chase. No tire marks. Just administrative silence. Five of these mechanical nomads have reportedly returned, perhaps homesick or low on fuel. The remaining fifteen, however, continue their mysterious sabbatical. Let us be clear. Vehicles do not vanish. Files vanish. Accountability vanishes. Vehicles require drivers, fuel logs, maintenance records, duty rosters, and authorization slips. A car cannot simply wake up one morning, stretch its suspension, and ...

Silence, Shadow Participation, and the Erosion of Fair Play in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports

  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow Digital Creator Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s sports system is not collapsing overnight. It is eroding quietly through administrative negligence, opaque decision-making, and a pattern of selective silence. The most recent and troubling manifestation of this decay is the undocumented presence and participation of Afghan athletes and coaches across provincial sports complexes, district competitions, and even national-level events. This is not a xenophobic argument. It is a governance argument. The issue is not nationality. The issue is the absence of rules, records, and accountability. At the center of this institutional vacuum sits the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Directorate, which appears unable or unwilling to provide basic data: How many Afghan athletes are training in provincial facilities? How many are coaching? Who authorized their participation? Under what policy framework are they being accommodated? The Data Black Hole: Not an Oversight, a System...

"Why Are Sports in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Stagnant? Associations Stuck in Old Patterns, New Blood Needed"

  Musarrat Ullah Jan , Kikxnow , Digital Creator Have you ever wondered why sports in our province are floundering? It seems the same people have entrenched themselves in the system, and their connection to sports is as distant as the government’s connection to the public. These individuals hold positions as presidents, secretaries, joint secretaries, or members across almost every sports association, regardless of whether they have any real experience in that sport. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 35 districts, one often finds a single individual dominating multiple sports. A person who once played basketball might also serve as secretary for netball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, and athletics. The result is that one personality becomes central to nearly all sports operations. Martial arts provide a clear example. Although multiple disciplines exist, one “master” often takes responsibility for competitions and administration across all martial arts sports. The problem is that t...

"Why Are Sports in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Stagnant? Associations Stuck in Old Patterns, New Blood Needed"

  Musarrat Ullah Jan , Kikxnow , Digital Creator Have you ever wondered why sports in our province are floundering? It seems the same people have entrenched themselves in the system, and their connection to sports is as distant as the government’s connection to the public. These individuals hold positions as presidents, secretaries, joint secretaries, or members across almost every sports association, regardless of whether they have any real experience in that sport. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 35 districts, one often finds a single individual dominating multiple sports. A person who once played basketball might also serve as secretary for netball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, and athletics. The result is that one personality becomes central to nearly all sports operations. Martial arts provide a clear example. Although multiple disciplines exist, one “master” often takes responsibility for competitions and administration across all martial arts sports. The problem is that t...