Sports Directorate’s New Hiring Spree — Merit or Political Patronage?

 

Musarrat ullah Jan – KIKXNOW Digital creator

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Provincial Sports Directorate has recently seen its staff strength surge from 300 to 500 employees. On paper, the recruitment of 200 new staff members looks like a positive step, suggesting the government wants to strengthen the sports structure. But when one scratches beneath the surface, a series of serious questions arise: Was this process fair, transparent, and in line with the law, or was it yet another example of political patronage disguised as public service?

According to Pakistan’s civil service rules and provincial regulations, no recruitment can take place without public advertisement. This is not just a formality; it ensures that every eligible candidate has an equal opportunity to apply. In some cases, employment offices also circulate these opportunities to make the process inclusive.

Yet, in the case of these 200 new appointments, there was no newspaper advertisement, no notification through employment exchanges, and no public announcement. The entire process was shrouded in silence. This absence of transparency is not a small oversight; it is a blatant violation of the rules meant to protect meritocracy in government institutions.

Internal sources claim that most of the new employees are either close relatives of sitting members of the provincial assembly or hail from the constituency of an influential figure holding a key position in the Sports Directorate. If this is true, then these jobs were not created to serve sports — they were created to serve political loyalties.

This suspicion deepens when young people across different districts ask: if recruitment was based on merit, why do so many new hires come disproportionately from one particular area? The government can easily clear this doubt. All it needs to do is publish the CNIC numbers and districts of the newly appointed staff. But until this data is made public, the silence will only fuel perceptions of favoritism.

The question is not only about who was hired, but also about how these 200 new salaries and benefits will be funded. The Sports Directorate has a limited budget. If this payroll expansion comes at the cost of funds meant for athletes, infrastructure, and training facilities, then the very purpose of the Directorate is being undermined.

This scenario is not far-fetched. Across Pakistan, administrative bloat has often meant that the bulk of the budget goes to salaries of non-productive staff while athletes are left without stipends, grounds deteriorate, and facilities remain underdeveloped. If the Directorate’s financial resources are diverted to pay for political hires, then grassroots sports development will suffer.

The implications go far beyond this one recruitment round. Sports is a sector where merit, opportunity, and fairness are paramount. If athletes are to believe in the system, they need to trust that institutions are run transparently. But when those very institutions become examples of nepotism and political manipulation, the credibility of the entire sports system collapses.

What message does this send to young athletes? That no matter how hard they train, their future will be dictated not by performance but by connections? Such perceptions are poisonous — they discourage talent, breed frustration, and push many young players to abandon their dreams.

The solution is simple: make the recruitment process public. Publish the names, CNIC numbers, and districts of all newly appointed staff. Clarify whether a budget was allocated specifically for these posts, and if so, from which head of account. If this was a legitimate expansion, then the Directorate should have nothing to hide.

But if transparency is resisted, the suspicion of political manipulation will only deepen. And in a province where sports infrastructure is already fragile, this would be nothing short of betrayal to athletes and citizens who expect honesty from their institutions.

Some voices argue that highlighting such stories amounts to negativity. But journalism is not about wrapping stories in sugar-coating. If rules are broken and merit is sidelined, it is the media’s job to expose these facts, no matter how uncomfortable they may be for those in power. Criticism is not negativity — it is accountability.

Hiding such information or downplaying it would mean becoming complicit in the erosion of meritocracy. As uncomfortable as it may be for some officials, the truth must be reported. If the facts are bitter, the responsibility lies with those who created the mess, not with those who exposed it.

This controversy is not just about jobs. It reflects a larger governance issue: are public institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa being used to serve the people, or are they being turned into fiefdoms for political elites? The Sports Directorate should exist to promote athletes, build facilities, and strengthen the culture of sports. Instead, it risks becoming another dumping ground for political appointees.

The danger is that if this pattern continues, the very purpose of sports administration will collapse. Athletes will remain neglected, infrastructure will decay, and the offices will remain full — not of talent, but of political beneficiaries.

The Provincial Sports Directorate’s latest recruitment drive has raised more questions than it has answered. Until the government provides transparency and accountability, the perception will remain that this was not an exercise in strengthening sports, but in strengthening political patronage.

Sports are won not only on the field but also in the integrity of institutions that manage them. Without merit, transparency, and accountability, there can be no real progress — only paperwork victories that leave athletes, and the public, behind.

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