Karishma Ali providing football training to girls in Chitral

Pakistani Footballer Karishma Ali has not let the coronavirus stop her from pursuing her dream of helping girls in her native Chitral region. She encourages them to have a better future.

The 23-year-old, who has represented her country at international football tournaments, said the pandemic had only made her more determined; to give girls the opportunities often reserved for boys in Pakistan.

“Unlike boys, who could go out and play, girls remained cooped up especially since even schools were closed,” she said. “Many had to help with household chores, which certainly was not much fun”. The idea of her sports club hit two years ago with 60 girls aged between 8 and 16; now has nearly 150 members who ski, and play volleyball and cricket as well as football. She hopes it can help them overcome the twin challenges of poverty and sex discrimination in a country where boys’ education is a priority; by helping them get sports scholarships in professional colleges.

Ali’s career struggles:

It was not an easy journey. When the community got to know about Ali’s own football career, she received messages threatening to kill her if she continued. “It was as seen inappropriate culturally because I would wear shorts, thereby baring my skin,” she said.

The situation cooled down last year when she was selected for Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 Asia list of rising stars, alongside tennis champion Naomi Osaka and K-Pop band Blackpink; the community began to recognize her achievements.

Coaching and Funding of girls:

Next month, 30 of the girls will have a week of training from professional coaches in Islamabad; something Ali said would be a “giant educational step” as most have never left their communities.

She has also raised funds for a van to take them to the field where they train; a two-hour walk from where they live, to escape disapproval from the community. Her own family supported her dream of becoming a footballer, she said, calling her father a “feminist” who “believed in me when even I did not believe in me”.

She dreams of one day playing for a national team, but that will have to wait. Pakistan does not currently have a women’s football team. We are hopeful that all the efforts of Ali will be proved fruitful one day.