September 15, 2021
1 min read

Afghan female football team flees Taliban regime

The footballers belonging to the national junior girls team were facing threats from the Taliban due to their involvement in sports….reports Asian Lite News

 Female footballers from Afghanistan along with their families crossed the Torkham border to reach Pakistan on Tuesday night after the government issued emergency humanitarian visas to evacuate them from their country following the Taliban takeover, Dawn reported.

The footballers belonging to the national junior girls team were facing threats from the Taliban due to their involvement in sports. They had been originally due to travel to Qatar, where Afghan refugees have been housed at a facility for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but were left stranded after a bomb blast at the Kabul airport on August 26, Dawn reported.

While most of the Afghanistan national women’s team had flown out in the last week of August after an arrangement with the Australian government, the youth team were unable to get flights because they lacked passports and other documentation. They had since been in hiding to evade the Taliban.



The move to bring the 32 footballers – a total of 115 people, including their families – to Pakistan was initiated by British-based NGO Football for Peace in cooperation with the government and the Pakistan Football Federation of Ashfaq Hussain Shah, which isn’t recognised by FIFA.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino had visited the Afghan refugees during his trip to Doha last week, but the global football body has been criticised for its inaction in aiding the female footballers who were still in Afghanistan.

“We launched these efforts a few weeks ago and we’re extremely thankful to the government and PFF president Ashfaq Hussain Shah and vice president Aamir Dogar for facilitating us,” Pakistan ambassador of Football for Peace Sardar Naveed Haider Khan, a former member of Ashfaq’s PFF, told Dawn on Tuesday night.

ALSO READ: Blinken defends US withdrawal from Afghanistan

Previous Story

Shamsheer’s Firm lists on ADX Second Market

Next Story

Apple iPhone 13 Pro promises leap in filmmaking tech

Latest from -Top News

No Talks Till Terror Ends: India to Pakistan

The MEA’s strong response came at a time when Pakistan, pushed on the backfoot by India’s decisive Operation Sindoor, has suddenly started talking about its intent on having peace talks with India….reports

BNP ramps up poll demand

Chief Adviser Yunus had earlier promised elections in December 2025, but the timeline has since been pushed back first to February 2026 and then to June 2026, fuelling suspicion and dissatisfaction among

Saudi backs India’s strategic outreach

In a series of engagements, the Indian delegation met Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State Adel Al-Jubeir and other senior officials. A high-profile Indian all-party parliamentary delegation, led by BJP MP Baijayant Jay

India clears stealth fighter project

New execution model paves way for private sector involvement in India’s ambitious stealth aircraft programme; Army showcases next-gen drone warfare systems. In a landmark decision bolstering India’s defence self-reliance, Defence Minister Rajnath

ASEAN lauds India’s firm stance on terrorism

The ASEAN Secretary-General reaffirmed the bloc’s resolve to deepen collaboration with India—a comprehensive strategic partner—in security and counter-terrorism efforts. The Indian all-party Parliamentary delegation, led by Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Jha,
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Narco smuggling into Kashmir on the rise

Of the high-value drugs smuggled in from Afghanistan and Pakistan,

Russia recognises Taliban envoy

Lavrov made the remarks in China on Wednesday during a