Sports in Merged Districts: Women Erased, Men Celebrate

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Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow , Digital Creator

In the merged tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the official sports system exists largely on paper, and only for men. Thousands of male athletes are registered across Bajaur, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram, Orakzai, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan. Women? Zero. Not a single female athlete appears in official records for 2020–21 and 2021–22.

The data is stark: Bajaur has 204 clubs with 3,708 men, Khyber 346 clubs with 4,506 men, Mohmand 260 clubs with 3,016 men, Kurram 314 clubs with 3,706 men, Orakzai 172 clubs with 2,204 men, North Waziristan 264 clubs with 3,504 men, and South Waziristan 270 clubs with 3,464 men. Meanwhile, women are completely absent—erased from the system.

This is not an oversight. It is a structural exclusion. Official documents exist to project the appearance of development, but they conceal the reality: there are no programs, no training, no clubs, and no pathways for female athletes. Women are reduced to a “zero” in spreadsheets while men dominate the sports ecosystem.

Requests for clarity from sports associations are met with delays, vague responses, or bureaucratic deflection. “Wait three months,” officials say, as if female participation is some abstract possibility rather than a right. Ground realities tell a different story: women are invisible in stadiums, gyms, and training centers, entirely excluded from any formal sporting activity.

This systemic neglect raises critical questions: Is this truly sports development, or a façade to satisfy bureaucratic reporting requirements? The sheer absence of female athletes exposes the gender bias entrenched in local sports governance. Public statements about promoting sports for all are hollow when half the population has no access, no facilities, and no official recognition.

Cultural and logistical explanations are often offered, but they do not excuse the total absence of policy, funding, or planning for women. A responsible sports system should create opportunities, support, and visibility. In these districts, however, the system actively erases women while glorifying male participation.

The consequences are real and lasting. Women cannot train, compete, or represent their communities. Young girls grow up without role models, programs, or incentives. Meanwhile, men’s numbers are inflated on paper, creating an illusion of progress while women remain sidelined.

The failure is not just administrative—it is structural. Thousands of men benefit from clubs, coaching, and tournaments. Women are denied these same resources, effectively rendering them invisible in the official narrative of sports development. This imbalance reflects a deep governance crisis: without accountability and inclusive policies, development becomes mere propaganda.

The statistics themselves are damning. Across seven districts, male athletes are counted meticulously while female athletes are nonexistent. This is not coincidence. It is institutional neglect. Zero women is not a lack of talent or interest—it is deliberate exclusion. It is a government system designed to sustain male dominance in sports while keeping women invisible.

Until the sports administration addresses this gender gap, all claims of development remain false. Infrastructure, training, coaching, and tournaments without female inclusion are meaningless. Women’s exclusion undermines the credibility of the entire sports governance system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s merged districts.

In conclusion, the sports structure in these districts is a men-only system masquerading as inclusive development. Thousands of men are counted, documented, and supported. Women are systematically erased, their presence ignored, and their potential denied. True progress requires not just statistics but meaningful, actionable policies that allow women to train, compete, and succeed. Anything less is an institutional failure and a national embarrassment.

#MergedDistricts #SportsInKP #WomenInSports #KPYouth #SportsReform #FemaleAthletes #SportsDevelopment #KhyberPakhtunkhwa #SportsGovernance #Kikxnow #musarratullahjan

 

 

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