PESHAWAR, Jun 16 (APP):Once a cradle of sporting legends, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has started grappling with a decline in athletic activities—a reflection of years of administrative apathy and chronic underinvestment.
The recently announced KP budget has come under heavy fire from opposition figures and civil society alike for its meager allocation to the sports sector and broader developmental shortcomings.
Despite tall claims about youth engagement and sporting revival, the PTI government has earmarked just Rs. 11.6 billion for the Sports and Youth Affairs Department in the 2025-26 budget.
This figure, critics say, is emblematic of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) declining focus on sports development during its third consecutive term in the province.
The Annual Development Program (ADP) for the province includes only two new sports-related projects that is a gymnasium in Buner district and indoor sports facilities for women in divisional headquarters.
The minimal scope of these initiatives, according to former MNA Shahgee Gul Afridi, reflects the PTI-led government’s “jugglery of words” rather than any sincere commitment to sports revival.
“Talks of promoting sports in KP ring hollow when you consider the reality in the 35 districts, including merged tribal areas, where sports infrastructure is either absent or decaying,” Afridi said.
“Even after establishing a separate Directorate of Sports for Merged Districts, the lack of funding and vision has rendered sports ineffective.”
He further criticized the sports administration’s approach of hastily organizing events in June, seemingly to exhaust remaining funds rather than foster long-term sports culture. “Is sports development now reduced to fuel receipts, office meetings, and unused funds?” he asked.
Another sore point is the continued delay in completing the Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium in Peshawar. Sahibzada Hamza Khan, PML-N Nowshera President, alleged that instead of prioritizing its completion, the PTI government attempted to rename the stadium—an act met with public resistance.
“The cost has ballooned due to delays, and the youth of Peshawar remain deprived of a vital facility,” Hamza said.
Hamza also took aim at the overall fiscal policy of KP, questioning the basis for a Rs. 2,119 billion budget when actual provincial revenues are estimated at just Rs. 129 billion. He called it “hypothetical budgeting” built largely on the assumption of receiving over Rs. 1,500 billion from the federal government.
He challenged PTI’s claims of financial self-reliance and surplus budget, pointing out that even basic financial promises—such as net hydel profit arrears and gas royalties—were not fulfilled during PM Imran Khan’s federal tenure.
While PTI has declared an “education emergency” in the province, critics argue that the ground reality tells a different story. Of the 5.5 million out-of-school children in KP, many are located in areas where basic infrastructure is still lacking.
“About 2,800 schools don’t have boundary walls, 2,500 lack clean water, and 2,000 are without furniture,” Hamza said, lamenting the paltry Rs. 13 billion allocated to education.
Even more alarming, he said, is the administrative vacuum as 24 of the province’s 34 universities are operating without vice-chancellors, and reports suggest that the government may shut down 18 universities while auctioning off institutional properties.
Critics are particularly angered by the stark contrast in fund allocation—Rs. 153 billion for a 200-kilometer road projects versus minimal amounts for education and health. Hamza also highlighted systemic neglect of local governments and opposition members, who he claims have not received development funds in over 13 years.
He accused the PTI administration of introducing 810 new schemes without proper planning, while shelving 310 ongoing projects from previous years. Citing alleged financial mismanagement, he claimed that Rs. 200 billion had been siphoned through fake cheques in Kohistan, questioning the integrity of other district-level projects.
“In hospitals, even basic items like Panadol or syringes are missing. The Sehat Card scheme is riddled with fraud—cases like the same patient undergoing 20 surgeries on the same day are not unheard of,” he alleged.
Under the PTI, KP’s provincial debt has reportedly skyrocketed—from Rs. 30 billion to over Rs. 2,000 billion, with projections estimating it could hit Rs. 2,880 billion by year’s end.
As the budget debate intensifies, sports and youth—once a cornerstone of PTI’s political narrative—appear to be among the biggest casualties of KP’s fiscal mismanagement.
For the province’s young athletes and aspirants, the future remains uncertain, mired in administrative neglect and political rhetoric.
