Pashtun girls shine in formerly male-dominated sports

http://centralasiaonline.com/

By Zahir Shah

The Pakistani Taliban had previously barred sports participation in the region; now, the tribal region is investing in facilities and children, especially girls, are finding a more conducive atmosphere for such activities.

Young karate champion Aqsa Khan, like many other Pashtun girls, is energetic and strong, as she kicks her opponent in the chest during a practice session at Qayyum Sports Complex in Peshawar in October.

"I feel strong and satisfied when I put on my karate uniform," Aqsa told Central Asia Online.

"I am here because of my family's support," Aqsa, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial under-16 gold medallist and under-17 silver medallist, said. "I feel I can do anything a boy can do."

Aqsa is one of many girls in KP and the tribal areas who are taking up traditionally male-dominated sports like wrestling, judo, swimming, boxing and track and field.

Parental and social opposition to the idea of girls' sports, once vehement, seems to be fading, partly because the militancy's hold over the region apparently is loosening enough that there is not as much fear as there was previously.

The sports revival in KP and the tribal areas started in mid-2011 when a cricket tournament was held at the Karwan Ground in Khar. It was Bajaur's first major sporting event since the Taliban had been driven out of the region. The Taliban, under Faqir Muhammad and Mullah Omar, had put an end to such things as public sporting events starting they held sway in the area, starting in 2005. But a lengthy military operation that started in 2008 eventually flushed out most of the militants.

"The black days of the militants are over now, and it is a bright day for youngsters who can now come out and play," said Azahar Ali, a cricket player from Inayat Kalley, where the militants had previously banned cricket. Girls' sports participation now encouraged With a higher level of peace in the region, authorities in the tribal areas and KP are now doing their part to encourage girls and women to take up sports.

"Now the girls in Bajaur are participating in games in school and in Peshawar, but more facilities still need to encourage them to participate," Azahar said.

The KP government is doing its part, providing facilities for female athletes and hiring trained woman coaches and other experts "to help groom young talent," KP Women's Sports Director Rashida Ghaznavi said. "So far this year, 13 different [female] sports competitions have been held at school and college level [in KP]," Rashida said, "which is a positive sign." The KP Sports Directorate is devoting substantially more money to female sports, Muhammad Tariq, an official at the directorate, said. "It was about Rs. 40m (US $380,000) [annually] in the past and went up by 50% [in fiscal year 2013]." A variety of sports, ranging from badminton to martial arts to baseball, are gaining popularity among tribal girls in this encouraging new environment, Rashida said.

Female-only facilities would boost participation

Having more female-only sports facilities would encourage turnout even more and would assure parents, Nagina Khan of Dera Ismail Khan, a badminton referee and committed athlete herself, said.

"Some parents are reluctant to send their daughters to play with men; they want all-female sports grounds," she said.

"The culture is changing, but it will take time."

Parents are showing greater trust and confidence in their daughters, Gulnara, a former national-level athlete and now the in-charge of women's sports in Mardan District, said. Building public stadia might cost too much, but schools could easily have girls-only facilities, Sittara Khan, an athlete and the in-charge of sports affairs at college level of Lakki Marwat District, said.

"It would be a great way to find talent," she said, envisioning "special scholarships for girls" and "free education for sportswomen" as ways to stimulate female participation in sports.

"Girls ... have to come and play their hearts out to break the shackles, and they are doing it," Ramza Khan, a baseball player from Peshawar, said.