Pakistani footballer speaks up for Women football players as she sets Guinness World Record
Pakistanis never fail to amaze us with their talent and achievements, let it be academics or sports. Recently Hajra Khan, Pakistan women football’s team captain set up a world record in order to highlight inequality in sports in Pakistan. Pakistani women sports players have surely been portraying how capable they all are and they are making sure to set up an example for all women out there!
Hajra Khan became part of the Pakistan national team in 2009 and in 2014 she led the team as a captain. Hajra Khan has set three football related Guiness World records to her name collectively in the past year. Her latest world record was set by playing 69 hours straight in the French city of Lyon. Equal Playing Field (EPF) organized the game on the sidelines of the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup. The aim of the EPF initiative was to include girls from all over the world to give them all opportunity and to celebrate the sport. The Pakistani footballers who participated in the game were Hajra Khan, Khadija Kazmi, Abiha Haider, and Saba Dawood.
The game was to play in five-a-side match, with 807 players, a match which went for 69 hours starting from June 28 to July 1. Hajra Khan played for three hours in the field, scored twice and made her country proud. Then she took part in the second record attempt, where in 11-a-side match with up to 54 nationalities, she scored two more goals. The 25-year-old captain stated in one of her interviews, “It’s not about breaking world records and scoring goals. It’s about why I do it. For Pakistan — for inequality in sport.” She asked for better treatment and equal opportunities for the women players of the country which lacks a lot in our country. PFF has not been prioritizing Pakistan Women Team since 2014 and neither tried to uplift the existing structure women footballers. Adding more to it, female footballers have always been paid less than male team members and are also given less opportunities than men. The EPF initiative played a huge role in raising the issues that women face.