PESHAWAR: The man who filmed a viral video of a young girl playing cricket in Pakistan’s tribal North Waziristan has been released after a brief abduction, a local activist said on Saturday, in an incident underscoring lingering tensions over women’s public presence in the conservative northwestern region.
The clip showed 10-year-old Aina Wazir bowling confidently in North Waziristan, a district once dominated by militant groups and long closed to girls’ sports and schooling. The footage spread widely across Pakistani social media this week, prompting praise from users and an offer of support from Pakistan Super League franchise Peshawar Zalmi.
But shortly after the video gained attention, the man who recorded it, Zafran Wazir, was abducted from the remote Tehsil Shewa area on Friday evening, police confirmed.
“The person who made the video has been abducted by unknown persons in the evening [Friday],” the District Police Officer of North Waziristan, Sajjad Hussain, told Arab News earlier. “The locality is far and hard to reach, and we are trying to recover the missing person.”
Local activist Ibrahim Pashteen, who was involved in efforts to secure his release, said Wazir was freed following mediation.
“He has been released after the involvement of a jirga,” Pashteen told Arab News.
Authorities did not identify the abductors and no group has claimed responsibility.
Zafran also posted a video message on his Facebook page on Friday late evening in which he is seen sitting on the floor of a dimly lit room in which he was purportedly being held.
“She was a minor girl and her bowling impressed, but the video went too viral,” he said in the clip, adding that some people viewed the footage as contrary to religion and Pashtun social customs.
“I am now with unknown persons,” he said. “I have done mistake and will not use social media this way again.”
Residents and activists say public reactions to the video since it surfaced were sharply divided, reflecting conservative social norms among the Pashtuns — an ethnic group dominant in northwest Pakistan whose traditional code of honor places strong restrictions on female public visibility — in a region that only recently emerged from years of insurgency and military operations.
North Waziristan lies along the Afghan border and was for years a stronghold of militant factions who enforced strict social codes, including bans on women’s mobility and recreation. Although security has improved since large-scale military campaigns in the late 2010s, local society remains deeply traditional, particularly regarding girls appearing in public or online.
Meanwhile, Aina’s family has relocated her to another location due to safety concerns, a relative told Arab News on condition of anonymity.
“We have moved Aina Wazir out of Shewa and to a safer place.”
Before the backlash, Peshawar Zalmi owner Javed Afridi had announced on social media that the girl would be included in the franchise’s upcoming women’s league initiative.
“We will ensure she is provided with all necessary cricket equipment and proper facilities so she gets the opportunity she truly deserves to grow and shine,” Afridi wrote on X this week.
