Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Directorate: Transparency Concerns Uncovered

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Directorate: Transparency Concerns Uncovered

Musarrat UIlah Jan

Peshawar – Transparency issues within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Directorate have been brought to light a year post a Right to Information (RTI) request was lodged in October 2023.

Crucial data on sports equipment distribution and club registrations across various districts remains undisclosed, raising significant doubts about the Directorate’s dedication to transparency and compliance with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Transparency International (KPTI) government’s Right to Information Law.

The undisclosed information includes the allocation of sports equipment in Kohat, Peshawar, DI Khan, Tank, Bajaur, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Karak,

Orakzai, Mohmand, Khyber, and Kurram districts during the financial years 2021-22 and 2022-23. Furthermore, details on club registrations and categorizations mandated by the 2018 sports policy are also missing from the records.

The absence of data on registered clubs not only obstructs transparency but also presents a risk of revenue loss for the Directorate. District Sports Officers, responsible for maintaining such records,

are reportedly lagging in commencing the registration process, leaving the actual count of operational clubs in these districts undisclosed.
Moreover, suspicions have emerged concerning fund utilization.

Reports suggest that Directorate officials are sidestepping standard procedures by acquiring funds from Deputy Commissioners and organizing competitions solely on paper, potentially leading to resource misappropriation.
These transparency lapses and financial concerns necessitate immediate intervention.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government must investigate these claims and ensure that the Provincial Sports Directorate complies with the RTI Law while effectively implementing the 2018 sports policy.