ISLAMABAD: Twenty two-year-old Karishma Ali is used to a lot of firsts.
She was the first girl from her hometown of lower Chitral to represent Pakistan in football at both the national and international levels.
She took part in the Jubilee Games in Dubai, UAE three years ago and also represented Pakistan’s women football team in the Australian Football International (AFL) Cup.
Ali is also the first from Chitral to be featured on Forbes Asia’s 30 under 30 list.
Now, she has her eyes set on realizing her dream of seeing more girls participating in sports. For this purpose, she established the Chitral Women’s Sport Club (CWSC), the region’s first.
She says it all began when she kicked her first football at the age of nine. “I didn’t properly play football, but I became a football lover back then when I was a little kid,” Ali told Arab News. “I remember watching the World Cup with my father in 2006 and fell in love with the game.”
Ali’s decision to foray into sports was supported by her family, particularly her father, who always pushed her to excel in the game.
In Pakistan, women’s participation in sports is abysmal, mostly due to cultural restraints, patriarchal and conservative attitude, and a lack of infrastructure. For her part, Ali says she factored in all these conditions before taking the leap.
“In Chitral, there was no facility and there is still no facility for girls — which is why I am working on it,” Ali told Arab News, adding that she “never had the opportunities to play football.”
“The only time I would get to play football in Chitral was when I would go on a picnic with my father or rarely with my classmates. The boys would be playing, I would come and kick, they would stare at me, laugh and bully me but I never cared — I still went for it,” she said.
And while she had the backing of her family – and the support of coaches and mentors after moving to Islamabad at the age of 13, leading to her eventual placement on the national team – Ali says that, initially at least, the community was not receptive to the idea of girls playing sports.
“A lot of people do not appreciate the inclusion of girls in sports, so for me I thought starting [this club] and making it for girls under the age of 16 would be crucial,” she said, adding that the sports club “is not just about sports or football.”
“We are trying to teach girls about their rights, we are trying to educate them about health,” she said.
Last year, the CWSC hosted a seven-day camp for 70 girls from across Chitral and surroundings villages, resulting in the first all-women football tournament in the area.
Ali’s aim is to not just encourage athleticism, competition and confidence among young girls, but to also demonstrate how the sport can empower women and be a source of pride for the country.
“Last year [starting out] was very hard, when I told people I wanted to do this in Chitral, people thought I was crazy,” she said. “People never appreciated that I was playing sports to begin with, so to want to invite others in… I was bullied and threatened.”
However, Ali found strength in her usual source – her father. “[He] said to me: ‘You have taken this step for so many girls and, now, if you give up, that means the end of sports for every other girl back home. You decide whether you can be brave and keep fighting or people will forget you. Remember, if you stand up people will remember you, people will get inspired and get their girls involved’,” she said.
And they did.
From among the 70 girls who enrolled in the club, several live in villages and would commute for three to four hours every day just to participate.
“They would not miss the training session even for a single day and would wake up at 6am to reach the ground, play sports and go back,” Ali said of the girls, teeming with pride.
This year, Ali’s camp hosted nearly 200 girls, more than doubling last year’s attendance.
For her party, Ali, who has earned herself the “Pride of Pakistan” award that recognizes tremendous contribution made by Pakistanis, wants the same for other girls, too.
“I remember when I was a kid watching the World Cup with my cousin, I’d told him I want to play for the national team, but there was no such concept of girls playing football. When I got to the national team I sank into this confidence,” she said.
“I think of the little girl back in the village and myself in the national uniform and that fills me with happiness. We have amazing people, we have girls who want to play sports and for Pakistan and I want to be a good ambassador for them,” she said.
One woman’s small step for Chitral marks a giant leap for Pakistan in football
One woman’s small step for Chitral marks a giant leap for Pakistan in football
- Karishma Ali hopes to now provide a platform for more girls to participate in sports
- Has earned several accolades for the country, including being featured in Forbes 30 under 30
No tension with Pakistan, US says after sanctioning firms for ‘aiding’ ballistic missile program
- US announced sanctions against three Chinese companies, one Belarus-based firm
- Washington says the firms were supplying items to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program
ISLAMABAD: The US State Department said on Thursday there were no tensions with Pakistan following Washington’s move to impose sanctions on four international firms for supplying to the South Asian nation’s ballistic missile program.
In a press release issued last Friday, the US State Department announced sanctions against three Chinese companies and one Belarus-based firm on charges they supplied items to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program.
Pakistan has said it rejects the “political use of export controls.”
“Absolutely not … Pakistan continues to be one of our most important partners in the region,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters in response to a question about tensions between Washington and Islamabad following the sanctions.
“There continues to be a lot of cooperation that we have with the Government of Pakistan, especially in the security space, especially in the trade sector … This is a robust relationship and we’ll look to continue strengthening it.”
The companies listed by the US for sanctions are the China-based Xi’an Longde Technology Development Company Limited, Tianjin Creative Source International Trade Co. Ltd, Granpect Company Limited and Belarus-based Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant.
The sanctions mean all property and interests in property of the companies in the US or in possession or control of American citizens are blocked and must be reported to the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), according to the State Department.
They also mean that all transactions by American citizens, or those within (or transiting) the US that involve any property or interests in property of the companies, are prohibited unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC.
Officials from global container logistics company in Pakistan for talks on developing ports
- Maersk is integrated container logistics company operating in 130 countries
- Company delegation meets Pakistani finance and maritime affairs ministers
ISLAMABAD: A delegation from a leading logistics company, A.P. Moller-Maersk (APM) Terminals, met Pakistani officials in Islamabad this week for talks on developing and modernizing the South Asian nation’s ports, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Friday.
Maersk is an integrated container logistics company operating in 130 countries. APM Terminals has been developing and operating advanced ports and container terminals for over half a century and has 60 strategically located ports and container terminals around the globe and several more in development.
On Thursday, a delegation from the company led by its CEO Keith Svendsen separately met Pakistani Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Minister for Maritime Affairs Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh.
“Pakistan is keen to explore future projects and investments with APM especially in the maritime sector,” Aurangzeb was quoted as telling the APM delegation in a report by Radio Pakistan. “The government is fully committed to facilitate an environment conducive to business and investments.”
Radio Pakistan quoted Svendsen as telling Aurangzeb APM was “pleased” to engage with Pakistan and saw “great potential” in the Pakistani market.
“Affirming confidence in the country’s growth prospects and development agenda, he expressed commitment to enhance its investment and operations to support the country’s trade,” the report said.
Svendsen and his delegation also met the maritime affairs minister and discussed investment prospects in Pakistan’s ports and terminals sector.
“The delegation head highlighted Moller-Maersk’s prominent global position and its robust relationship with Pakistan, which reflects a market share of approximately 20 percent in containerized import-export activities,” Radio Pakistan said.
“Recognizing the immense growth potential, Keith Svendsen proposed investments to enhance integrated supply chain solutions, including the upgrading of ports and logistics infrastructure. The delegation pledged support for the advancement of maritime affairs in Pakistan and for nurturing a skilled workforce in this sector.”
On Monday, Pakistani and United Arab Emirates (UAE) officials performed the groundbreaking of a $175 million Bulk and General Cargo terminal as part of a new 25-year concession agreement signed between AD Ports Group and Karachi Port Trust (KPT) in Feb. 2024 to outsource operations of the terminal.
Under the terms of the agreement, Karachi Gateway Terminal Multipurpose Limited (KGTML), a joint venture between AD Ports Group, as a majority shareholder, and Kaheel Terminals, a UAE-based company, will develop, operate and manage the Bulk and General Cargo Terminal, berths 11 to 17 at Karachi Port’s East Wharf.
Pakistani PM to attend Islamic Summit Conference in Gambia on May 4
- Palestine, Islamophobia, climate change on agenda of meeting arranged by OIC
- Summit to be attended by concerned heads of state such as PMs, presidents, emirs
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the 15th session of the Islamic Summit Conference organized by the OIC on May 4-5 in the Gambian capital of Banjul to discuss a variety of regional and global issues, including Palestine, Islamophobia, climate change and the status of minorities, state-run APP reported.
The session will be held under the slogan “Enhancing Unity and Solidarity through Dialogue for Sustainable Development,” according to a press release issued by the OIC General Secretariat.
The Islamic Summit Conference attended by Sharif will be preceded by a preparatory meeting of senior officials on April 30 and May 1, who will discuss the documents of the session and submit a report to a preparatory meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM).
“The preparatory CFM meeting will be held on May 1-2 to consider the results of the senior officials meeting and in turn, submit its report to the Summit,” the OIC said.
Pakistani foreign minister Ishaq Dar will attend the CFM meeting.
“Leaders of the member states will discuss the political issues of the Islamic world, most notably the Palestinian cause, and the economic, humanitarian, social and cultural issues, in addition to the issues of youth, women, family, science and technology, information, Muslim communities and minorities in non-OIC member states, and legal matters,” the OIC said.
The Summit will also tackle issues related to hate speech and Islamophobia, the promotion of dialogue, climate change and food security.
“The 15th session will issue a final communique that includes the OIC positions on the issues submitted to the Summit, a resolution on Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif, and the Banjul Declaration,” the OIC added.
The Islamic Summit is a principal organ of the OIC focused on the formulation, development, and implementation of decisions made by 57 member states. The Summit is attended by concerned heads of state such as prime ministers, presidents, emirs and other equivalent heads.
Hit repeatedly by floods in northwest Pakistan, 70-year-old to rebuild house for 10th time
- Mian Awal Khan lives in Charsadda district, prone to floods after heavy rains
- 65 killed, 80 injured in heavy rains in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province since Apr. 12
CHARSADDA, Pakistan: Mian Awal Khan stared at the remains of his house, destroyed by flooding in the River Khyali earlier this month, and cried quietly into his sleeve.
This is the 10th time the 70-year-old would have to rebuild his house in Charsadda, a district in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province prone to floods after heavy rains.
At least 65 people have been killed and 80 injured in downpours and subsequent flooding in KP since Apr. 12. Charsadda district is one of the worst hit, with three rivers, Jindi, Khyali and Kabul, meeting downstream at the Shahbara village.
Unfortunately for Khan, his house initially stood on the banks of the River Kyali and was first washed away by floods in 2010. He built a new house 500 meters away from that spot after the river carved out a path for itself on his land.
Flooding would destroy his house many times again.
“This will be the tenth time I will rebuild my house,” an emotional Khan told Arab News, seated on the concrete remains of his three-room house.
“My house was washed away by the floods six times when it was over there [initial spot] and four times when it was here.”
Khan’s 35-year-old son, Mian Fawadullah, said the family was unable to save any belongings on the day of the flooding.
“When we were busy rescuing our children and women, this [destruction] happened to our house,” he told Arab News. “We didn’t take any household items as our life was in danger. We left everything just as it was in its place.”
The flood had cost the family Rs1.5-1.6 million [$5,385-$5,744], Fawadullah said, and also destroyed 108,900 square feet of fields as well as washed away livestock and filled the fields with mud at a critical time for farming.
“Farming has also vanished now,” he lamented. “The wheat and the sugarcane have rotten in the water. This is a real mess. We do labor, prepare the field and the river washes it away [every single time].”
“EATEN MY YOUTH”
Flood survivors say they want the government to build protection walls and put in place preventative mechanisms in a country consistently ranked among the most affected by climate change impacts.
Unprecedented rains in 2022 triggered flash floods that killed over 1,700 people and caused damages worth $33 million.
Ihsan Dawar, a public relations officer at the KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority, said the government was carrying out relief works, particularly to rebuild around 3,500 houses partially or fully damaged in the recent floods.
“Up until this time, about Rs200 million [$718,096] have been distributed among the victims of the fresh spell of rain incidents,” Dawar told Arab News.
But Khan has little hope floods won’t wreak havoc on his life again.
“The river is not going to spare it [my house] here also,” he said, adding that it was cutting at the edges of the land like a “butcher cutting meat.”
When asked what he would do now, he broke down and cried quietly.
“This is too difficult,” he said about having to rebuild his house yet again. “It has eaten all my youth.”
He was ‘joyous’ in Australia, says family of Pakistani guard killed in Sydney attack
- Faraz Tahir, 30, was the only male killed in fatal Sydney knife attack on April 13
- Tahir’s was working his first day shift when Bondi Junction stabbing took place
ISLAMABAD: The family of Faraz Tahir, a 30-year-old Pakistani security guard killed in a deadly shopping center knife attack in Sydney this month, said he had been “joyous” about making a new life for himself as a refugee in Australia.
Six people were killed and 12 hurt when 40-year-old Joel Cauchi stabbed citizens at the Westfield Bondi Junction on April 13 in one of the city’s worst violent crimes in recent years. Among the dead were five women and Tahir, a refugee from Pakistan who worked as a security guard at the ball.
Police have said the man who fatally stabbed the six people seemed to have targeted women, as the attacker’s family has opened up about Cauchi’s long history of mental illness and frustrations with women.
Mass killings are rare in the country of about 27 million people, which has some of the world’s toughest gun and knife laws.
Speaking to the media, Tahir’s brother Mudasar Bashir said the day he was killed was the first time he was working the day shift.
“We are very proud of him because Islam, our religion, says that if you save even one human, you save all of humanity,” Bashir said.
“So he saved, I don’t know how many people he saved in that time. I think there are lots of people.”
He said Tahir was happy to have moved to Australia from Pakistan.
“He was very happy, he was joyous,” Bashir said. “So, every time he was saying that ‘I am happy here, it’s a very good place. At least I can pray, I can go to my mosque’.”
Bashir last spoke to his brother the night before the attack.
“Night [before the attack] we spoke and he said that ‘I have a job, let me sleep, it’s nighttime’,” Tahir’s brother said. “I said, ‘Okay don’t worry, sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.’ And it was the last time we spoke with him.”
With inputs from Reuters
