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Five Government Swimming Pools, But Almost No Coaches: KP Swimming Faces Growing Crisis

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  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow , Digital Creator PESHAWAR: Despite having five government-owned swimming pools across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province is facing a serious shortage of qualified swimming coaches, raising concerns about the future of the sport and the development of young swimmers. Government swimming pools are operational at Peshawar Sports Complex, Hayatabad Sports Complex, Mardan, Kohat, and Charsadda. However, most of these facilities are functioning without dedicated swimming coaches, leaving aspiring swimmers without proper technical guidance and training. According to available information, only a handful of qualified swimming professionals are associated with the provincial sports system. Asad, who was originally recruited as a swimming coach, is currently serving in an administrative role as Regional Sports Officer Kohat. Meanwhile, Mubeen Khan is reportedly the only coach actively working at Peshawar Sports Complex. The situation is equally concern...
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National Junior Championships or National Surprises? Questions Over Pakistan’s Sports Calendars

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  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow , Digital Creator There is a fundamental principle in sports administration: championships do not appear overnight. Competitions are usually planned months, and sometimes even a year, in advance. That is precisely why national sports federations submit their annual activity calendars to the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB). These calendars are meant to provide a clear record of national and international competitions, allow athletes to prepare properly, enable provincial associations to plan their activities, and ensure transparency in the selection and ranking process. In Pakistan, however, the sports system often operates as if annual calendars are not serious planning documents but merely a formality. From June 7 to 10, Peshawar is scheduled to host a series of National Junior Championships in different sports. On the surface, this is welcome news. More competitions should mean more opportunities for young athletes. Yet when these events are compa...
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General Games or General Confusion? Inside Peshawar Sports Complex Where Questions Outnumber Games

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    Musarrat Ullah Jan  , KikxNow , Digital Creator At the Peshawar Sports Complex, various sporting events are scheduled from 7 to 10 June. Officially, they are being promoted as “General National Games.” But among sports circles, a different name is circulating more frequently: “General Confusion.” The reason is simple. Even at this stage, it is still unclear who is participating, under what criteria, and for what exact purpose these competitions are being held. Athletes Left in the Dark The most affected stakeholders are the athletes themselves. Many of them currently stand in a situation similar to a student waiting outside an examination hall without knowing which subject the paper is for. Different sports associations are issuing conflicting statements. The badminton federation says this is not their official event. Table tennis circles claim it is actually their National Junior Championship, which has been taken over and branded by the provincial go...
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RTI’s Dead End: Asking Questions Is Easy in Peshawar Sports Directorate, Getting Answers Is Not

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  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow , Digital Creator In the Peshawar Sports Directorate, transparency is not absent in speeches. It is present on paper, stamped, registered, and formally acknowledged. The real absence is something else: answers. Information, in theory, exists. Files are opened, RTI applications are logged, receipts are signed. But when the time comes to disclose what those files contain, the system quietly shifts into a different mode, where access exists in principle but not in practice. RTI Promise vs Administrative Reality Nearly forty Right to Information (RTI) requests are currently pending at different stages in the Sports Directorate. These are not complex philosophical queries. They are basic administrative questions: procurement records, vehicle usage logs, fuel consumption, equipment purchases, and contract details. The pattern of response from the Public Information Officer is consistent enough to become predictable. Either there is silence, delay,...
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KP Sports Grant Hit by Nepotism Allegations; Case Escalates to Provincial Ombudsman

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Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow , Digital CREATOR PESHAWAR: A major controversy has erupted within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Department over the alleged mishandling of a Rs 48 million sports grant , raising serious questions about administrative transparency, selective bias, and financial oversight. The dispute has now escalated to the Provincial Ombudsman after three members of the Asia Cup Wheelchair Cricket contingent were reportedly frozen out of the financial disbursement without justification. According to inside official sources, the Rs 48 million grant was formally approved by the KP Provincial Cabinet based on an official summary drafted by the Deputy Director of Sports and forwarded by the Secretary Sports. The approved summary explicitly earmarked funds for two distinct contingents, covering players, coaching staff, and team coordinators: 1.       The Asia Cup Wheelchair Cricket Team 2.       The Afghanistan Seri...
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National Sports Policy 2005: Paper Reform vs Ground Reality in Pakistan’s Sporting System

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  Musarrat Ullah JAN , kIKXnOW , Digital CREATOR The National Sports Policy 2005 presents itself as a comprehensive blueprint to rebuild Pakistan’s sports structure from the grassroots to the international level. On paper, it is detailed, ambitious, and structurally coherent. But beneath the administrative language lies a fundamental flaw: it assumes institutional capacity, transparency, and accountability already exist. In Pakistan’s sporting ecosystem, that assumption is precisely where the policy begins to break down. At the heart of the policy is a pyramid model of sports development: clubs feed into districts, districts into provinces, and provinces into national teams. Conceptually, this is a standard merit-based progression system used in many countries. However, in Pakistan’s context, this linear model collides with structural realities. Clubs are often informally organized, inconsistently registered, or influenced by local power networks. District and provincial struct...
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National Sports Policy 2026: Ambition, Promises, and Ground Realities

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  Musarrat Ullah Jan Kikxnow , digital creator After nearly two decades, Pakistan has unveiled a new National Sports Policy 2026. On paper, the document appears modern, ambitious, and aligned with international trends. It promises greater autonomy for sports federations, the introduction of sports science and data analytics, recognition of esports, and a pathway toward Olympic success. The real question, however, is the same one that follows every major policy announcement in Pakistan: will this become another document gathering dust on shelves, or will it genuinely transform the country's sports system? One of the policy's central promises is granting "full autonomy" to sports federations and the Pakistan Olympic Association. In principle, this is a positive step. Across the world, governments are encouraged to avoid direct interference in sports administration to prevent political influence and bureaucratic control. Pakistan's challenge, however, is some...
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Pakistan’s National Sports Policy 2026: Reform, Reality, and the Questions Nobody Is Answering

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  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow , Digital Creator After nearly two decades, the federal government has unveiled a draft of the National Sports Policy 2026, a document that promises to transform Pakistan's sports landscape. The policy aims to reduce bureaucratic control, grant greater autonomy to sports federations, introduce sports science and data analytics, recognize esports, and ultimately help Pakistan become a regular Olympic medal-winning nation. On paper, it is an ambitious vision. In practice, however, several critical questions remain unanswered. Autonomy for Federations: Freedom or Lack of Accountability? The centerpiece of the proposed policy is the promise of administrative and financial autonomy for National Sports Federations and the Pakistan Olympic Association. The idea aligns with international sporting principles, where governments are discouraged from interfering in sports governance. Yet Pakistan's reality is more complicated. Many sports federati...
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