Quetta's very own Karate Girl
Shahida has, thus far, won 11 national and international medals for both club and country.
Quetta (Dunya News) - In a mono-dimensional society like ours, females are almost every time made to forgo their passion and stick to the years-old tradition of staying at home doing chores and taking care of their families. A girl in Quetta, however, has done otherwise, making not only her parents but her entire country proud in the process.
22-year-old Shahida has defied all odds by pursuing Karate as her profession; something that has brought her country great fame and respect. The girl from Quetta has, thus far, won 11 national and international medals for both club and country; a feat that makes her levels above the rest. Whilst women are known to be soft and their interests usually lie in the more feminine stuff, Shahida has set an example for the rest out there that it is perfectly alright to live your life with passion and continue to pursue what you are good at even if it is somewhat unorthodox.
Shahida started learning Karate almost 12 years ago and owing primarily to her dedication and hard work, she made it to the international arena with in no time, winning many crucial bouts in the process. “I have participated only four times at the international level, twice in the premier league, once in the South-Asian games and once in Baku for the Islamic Games”, said Shahida.
The most intriguing thing about the 22-year-old is that she has not kept the art of Karate to herself, but rather has decided to reach out to other girls in her community. She is currently teaching the sport to other passionate young girls in a Karate academy in the small town of Hazara.
Her coach is ecstatic about Shahida’s performances on the international level and believes her passion will make her win even more medals. “Shahida is a passionate and a dedicated girl going against all odds to achieve her life-long dreams. She recently participated in the 4th Islamic games held in Baku and performed really well. We are all proud of our girl.”
Shahida’s father has been supporting her daughter since the start and has been stuck to the cause of promoting Karate amongst young girls ever since. However, he believes that his efforts would bare more fruit if the government decides to intervene. “The government has never supported Shahida in any of her endeavors. It is their responsibility to help promote the sport amongst young girls in Quetta as well as other cities.”
Shahida’s inspiring story only tells that there is no lack of talent in Pakistan and if provided with effective help, the sport of Karate can be promoted to a much larger scale and amongst other young women as well.
