Peshawar’s Million Dollar Tartán Track Still Broken, Experts Sent Back and Footballers Back on the Streets

 

Musarrat Ullah  Jan – KikxNow, digital Creator

When the renovation of the tartan track at Peshawar Sports Complex started, it was branded as one of the costliest track projects in the country. The public was told that foreign technical experts were supervising it. A month ago officials assured that the track would be ready, polished, and playable within thirty days. Today the reality looks the opposite.

It is reported that two foreign specialists, physically overseeing the process, have been sent back to Islamabad. According to the athletes, they were informed that those experts would now "advise online" rather than being on-ground. If that is the plan, then very serious questions about the cost and credibility of the project arise. No technical engineering of a synthetic international-standard track can be monitored by way of remote calls. It entails soil testing, curve calibration, slope measurement, surface check, temperature evaluation, and layering, for which live supervision is required.

Track engineers, in a video message, claimed that everything would be completed in one month. The athletes say this timeline has expired and nothing reflects those promises. If the team which made the commitment has already been relocated, it hints at either poor planning or a lack of seriousness toward sports infrastructure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The bigger concern now falls on football.

While renovation continues, the football ground remains blocked because the track circles it. Once again local football players are forced back toward unofficial grounds, dusty patches, side streets, and unstructured games. They already lost years of training and competition due to frequent closures, political changes, and inconsistent sports management. Footballers say that decisions taken for athletics are made without planning for other major sports using the same facility.

Athletes are clear in their message. If the track cost this much, if foreign experts were hired and if assurances were made on record then the public deserves clarity. Why were the experts removed before completion. How will a remote consultancy solve on-ground defects. Who approved these changes without consulting players and clubs who rely on the venue.

The demand is not complex: do the job well, and do it transparently. Football and athletics are not seasonal hobbies, they are careers, training systems, and community investments. If multimillion projects continue with delays, unclear supervision, and shifting strategies, then the same cycle will continue: promises made, deadlines missed, athletes sidelined.

Peshawar's sports infrastructure cannot afford another incomplete or damaged track after spending a record amount. It is time for the responsible departments to respond with facts and not press statements. Athletes deserve timelines, accountability, and open communication.

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