Females in Pakistan are poised to make their country proud by shattering all glass barriers and gender stereotypes. It is no longer regarded taboo for a woman to participate in and excel in athletics. Pakistani sportsmen are currently world-class in a variety of sports such as cricket, hockey, tennis, and squash.
Women like Samina Baig, Bismah Maroof, and Sana Mir are succeeding in their respective sports. Females appear to have a promising future in sports for women in Pakistan, with physical activities gaining popularity in schools for girls.
Check out incredibly inspiring girls whose outstanding sporting achievements demonstrate that everything is possible if one has the desire to succeed.
1. 1. Sana Mir
The famous Sana Mir is changing the face of women’s cricket in Pakistan. She was only five years old when she found her love for cricket, idolising legendary cricketers and playing street cricket with her brothers.
While studying engineering, she made a 180-degree turn and became a professional cricketer. Sana, now the proud leader of the national women’s cricket team, went unbeaten in Asian Games 2010 and 2014, winning gold medals both times.
2. 2. Naseem Hameed
Naseem Hameed, a Pakistani track and field athlete, became South Asia’s fastest woman when she won the 100-meter gold medal in 11.81 seconds at the 2010 South Asian Games in Dhaka. She has earned the moniker “Queen of Tracks” as a result of her remarkable triumph.
Our queen of the tracks is most proud of her own coaching facility dedicated to developing female athletes, Naseem Hameed Sports Academy. Naseem was a main driving force behind Pakistani competitors’ good effect during the first Street Child Games in Brazil in 2016.
According to Hameed, the most irritating element and cause for her abandoning the sport was a lack of support from the government and sports officials.
3. 3. Samina Baig
Samina Khayal Baig, the world’s youngest Muslim lady and Pakistan’s first courageous female, is turning her childhood dream of conquering mountains into a full-fledged living reality.
Baig, who was born in Gilgit-Baltistan, became the first Pakistani woman to reach Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, in 2013.
You won’t believe it when I tell you that this 25-year-old mountaineer has climbed seven of the world’s highest peaks: Mount McKinley, Mount Elbrus, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Aconcagua, Carstensz Pyramid, Mount Vinson, and Mount Everest. Baig remains focused on her aim, hosting the green flag on ice summits to demonstrate to the world that Pakistani women are second to none in any field.
4. 4. Hajra Khan
Hajra Khan was born in Karachi, Pakistan on December 29, 1993. Khan’s childhood ambition was to become a professional athlete, but not a footballer. Sadia Sheikh, the coach of Diya W.F.C., spotted her while she was hunting for a regional team. Khan made her debut at the age of 14 and scored nine goals in three games for Diya W.F.C., earning her the tournament’s Top Scorer title.
At the age of 14, Hajra Khan was on his way to innumerable soccer triumphs. Nobody could stop Khan from flying across boundaries and shining worldwide, as he consistently won top scorer trophies at numerous competitions.
Hajra is the only athlete in Pakistani women’s football history to have scored 100 goals in her club career, having won the South Asian Beach Games in Sri Lanka in 2011. At such a young age, the sports star has established herself as not only the best football player, but also a true role model for other female athletes. She certainly accomplished in her profession what many others do not in such a short period of time.
5. 5. Maria Toorpakay Wazir
Maria Toorpakai Wazir (born November 22, 1990 in South Waziristan, FATA) is a Pakistani squash professional. She dressed like a guy for the first 16 years of her life in order to compete in sports as a Muslim girl under the name Genghis Khan, which her Muslim parents completely approved.
Maria Toorpakai Wazir is a multi-award-winning professional squash champion, author, activist, and worldwide peace and human rights pioneer. Girls’ participation in the sport was highly restricted by local Islamic culture in the Taliban-controlled Waziristan tribal districts of Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
To meet this challenge, Toorpakai prepared and competed as a guy under the guise of Genghis Khan, with her family’s consent. She rose to become Pakistan’s top female player, ranking third in the global juniors and 41st in the world seniors.
A Different Kind of Daughter: The Girl Who Hid from the Taliban in Plain Sight, Maria’s memoirs, tells her incredible story of endurance and fortitude. Her life story was the inspiration for the documentary “The War to Be Her” (Girl Unbound), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and has since aired on PBS, at the United Nations, and at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, among other places.
To extend her humanitarian activities, Toorpakai established the Maria Toorpakai Foundation, which promotes female equality through sports, health, and education. She presently lives and trains in Toronto, Canada, under the tutelage of professional squash player Jonathon Power.
6. 6. Twinkle Sohail
Twinkle Sohail is a Pakistani Christian who has brought a gold medal in weight lifting to her homeland. She is the first Pakistani woman to win a gold medal in weight lifting at an international tournament, the Asian Bench Press Championship in Oman in 2015.
The adolescent made history by winning gold in the 2015 Asian Bench Press Championship. Twinkle, who shines like a star, is the first female Pakistani powerlifter to win this title, and she did it on her debut.
Twinkle Sohail began her career as a cyclist, then her coach noticed her power lifting ability. She began power lifting on his suggestion. Pakistan has long dominated cricket, but with so much enthusiasm and skill, other sports are gaining a foothold in the country. Twinkle is not the first Christian to win a medal for her nation, but she has set a good example in a rare female sport.
7. 7. Ifrah Wali And Amina Wali
Ifrah and Amina Wali of Pakistan dared to be different by competing in the sport of skiing for the country.
Ifrah Wali (born November 29, 1995) is a Pakistani alpinist. When she won the Giant Slalom event in the first South Asian Winter Games in India, she became the first woman to do it.
Amina Wali is an alpinist from Pakistan. She held the national title for 15 years. She has been named a goodwill ambassador for Plan International for her support of the organization’s “because I am a girl” campaign.
The skiing sisters from Gilgit-Baltistan have participated in a number of international events, with Amina winning gold and Amina taking silver at the first South Asian Winter Games in 2011. This powerful combination is a true lighthouse for all girls in Pakistan, pushing them to tear through boundaries and pursue their aspirations!
8. 8. Palwasha Bashir
Palwasha Bashir (born 20 October 1987) is a Pakistani badminton player. Palwasha won the women’s singles and doubles championships to become the 2009 National Champion. Palwasha has been representing Pakistan in various international tournaments for numerous years.
Palwasha Bashir, a 28-year-old hardworking badminton player, is breaking down Pakistan’s patriarchal system.
After establishing herself as a national celebrity by winning back-to-back national titles, the badminton beauty caused a stir when she won a bronze medal in the South Asian Federation (SAF) games in 2010. Palwasha believes that the sky is the limit, and she wants to make her country proud by bringing in more honours.
9. 9. Mahnoor Shehzad
Mahoor Shahzad is a Pakistani badminton player who was born on October 17, 1996. She competed in the Asian Games in 2014, as well as the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and 2022.
Mahnoor Shahzad, a 23-year-old Pakistani badminton player, won the women’s singles title in the 2017 Pakistan International competition. She graduated from the Institute of Business Administration in Karachi and has competed in the 2014 Asian Games and the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
She also represented Pakistan in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo after receiving a three-way invitation, making her the first Pakistani badminton player to compete in the Olympics.
10. 10. Najma Parveen
Najma Parveen (born December 20, 1990) is a sprinter from Pakistan. She represented Pakistan at the Summer Olympics in 2016 and 2020. She holds the national record in the 200m, 400m, and 400m hurdles as of July 2021.
Najma is one of Pakistan’s most celebrated female athletes, having won multiple medals for her country in recent years.
11. 11. Sarah Mahboob Khan
Sarah Mahboob Khan is a Pakistani tennis player who was born on February 9, 1991. Sarah Mahboob Khan has a 2-8 win-loss record for Pakistan in the Fed Cup.
Sarah Mahboob Khan was born in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi. Mahboob, her father, is a tennis instructor. Sarah Mahboob Khan, when 14, won Pakistan’s youngest National Champion in 2004.
Since 2005, she has been Pakistan’s top tennis player. She is the only player in Pakistan to have won national titles on clay, hard, and grass, and she holds the record for the most National Rankings Ladies’ Singles titles.
12. 12. Bismah Maroof
Bismah Maroof (born 18 July 1991) is a Pakistani cricket all-rounder who bats left-handed and bowls right-arm leg break. She became the Pakistani women’s cricket team’s most run-scorer in both ODI and T20I formats in June 2022. (more than 2000 runs in each).
She has played over 200 matches for Pakistan, led the team from 2013 to 2020, and was the first woman to hit 1,000 runs in ODIs for Pakistan.
13. Conclusion
“This is a man’s world.” Many ladies in Pakistan have heard these words; yet, there are certain exceptionally powerful sportswomen in our country for whom it is nothing more than a false statement.
While many young Pakistani girls are discouraged from participating in sports and athletics, there are a few heroic women who have conquered all barriers and dared to dream big. These professional female athletes represent Pakistan’s real pride in combating bigotry in our culture, and they deserve to be recognised.
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