New Game at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Directorate: Pilfered Taps, Lost Equipment, and Institutional Silence

 

Musarrat Ullah Jan – Kikxnow DIGITAL  creator

In recent months, a peculiar trend has been evident at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Directorate. Taps and plumbing fittings go missing from the hockey ground toilets one day, equipment from the second-floor toilet adjacent to the Accounts Office the next; and then, on a holiday such as Eid, taps from the squash court "are taken out for cleaning." The surprising thing is that this is all going on in an institution where 24-hour round-the-clock watching is allegedly being done through CCTV cameras, with all the video footage instantly accessible in the Director General (DG) Sports' office.

The first experience was even near the hockey ground, where fittings and taps went missing from nine bathrooms instead of one. Nobody paid attention, and nobody reported it. It's as if the hockey ground is not only for sport but also for learning the art of silence. With everyone being "of the highest integrity," maybe nobody felt it right to say something.

The bathroom next in line was the one adjacent to the Accounts Office. The robbers not only pulled out the taps here but also did it with such tidiness that they even shut off the water valves as they left so as not to waste anything. It implies the criminals are not only professional but also surprisingly "eco-friendly." The tragedy is that the institution, which has been entrusted with guarding public property, is itself reaching the pinnacle of negligence.

Recently, during the Eid holidays, some of the bathroom equipment in the squash court was also pilfered. Everyone was busy with the break, and the opportunity was taken by the thieves. That is not an accident; it's a continuous pattern—one episode after another, with each followed by institutional silence.

The issue did not rest there. A while back, equipment pertaining to the electrical transformer at the main gate also disappeared. The DG took notice then, and it was reported in the media, but then, as is the norm, there was silence. It appears the same silence envelops the taps' theft now. It appears that taking "notice" is a ritual, after which the file is put on the shelf and the issue forgotten.

This ubiquitous silence is the most dangerous aspect. It is an equivalent of silently condoning thievery of public resources, not merely taps. Public funds, a public building, and public resources are being lost, and no one cares. If an institution is incapable of guarding the taps within its own toilets, how can it be relied upon to defend multi-million rupee sports ventures and equipment?

The strange irony is that the very spots where these thefts take place are being watched with cameras. The videos are being watched live, from the control room to the DG's office. The question remains: if there are cameras, then why is the theft taking place? Either the cameras are not functioning, or the monitoring is just a showpiece, or the "watchers" are knowingly keeping quiet even after witnessing everything.

Taking notice does not equate to the work being done. Notice is merely the beginning, followed by action. But here, going silent following notice has become the culture. It appears "taking notice" is actually a strategy to dissipate public pressure. Nobody gets suspended, no investigation is initiated, and no report is published.

If such events are being ignored as mere theft, this kind of thinking is even more hazardous. Organisations that are willing to overlook small-scale corruption can easily condone huge scams. This is the same attitude that eventually kills off public trust.

 

The question is: Why such negligence in an important institution as the Sports Directorate? If the level of cleanliness, discipline, and monitoring is this bad, can anyone have faith in the development of sports, providing facilities to players, and utilizing the government budget? If public funds are being squandered like this, then at least some account has to be given regarding who is behind it.

The heads of these institutions must promptly initiate a public and transparent inquiry. In case of internal conspiracy, it has to be brought to light. The CCTV surveillance has to be made meaningful in a way that such occurrences do not get lost in "reports" again. The public also deserves to know where their money is being spent, and who is involved if stealing is happening.

This is not only a tale of missing taps; it is a symptom of a systemic failure, mismanagement, and complacency. When institutions operate on public money but do not secure public property, their legitimacy is questioned.

Lastly, a sour but true reality: public property isn't safe at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Directorate, but its silence most definitely is. Maybe this is because it's "in vogue" to "take notice", but to "take action" is an exception. If so, after the taps, someone's next items on the doorsteps of their home could be the desks, chairs, or even official documents.

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