THE death of footballer Shahlyla Baloch has enveloped the country in a thick cover of sadness. Going by the tributes that have been pouring in, she appeared to have been a precocious young soul who had taken to football quite naturally. The enabling environment provided by her mother and two of her sisters, all of whom were involved in the game in one capacity or the other, must have been an encouraging factor. She was also lucky to have had coaches who were bold enough to compare her with the greats of the game and who trained her to be recognised as a most promising young footballer when she was only a child. Her passion for the game was said to have been insatiable, which reflects a general love of life. This makes it even more difficult for her admirers as well as those with little interest in the game to easily reconcile to her sudden departure. It was not simply a single individual who died in that horrifying road accident in Karachi; the serene face of Shahlyla Baloch represented a rare hope and a national promise that were also lost.

The young player symbolised resistance against great odds. If this is a cliché which cannot do justice to her cameo, it is in our hands to come up with something better. This country has in recent years celebrated the contributions of brave and trendsetting young women such as Malala Yousafzai and Arfa Karim. The tradition set after Arfa’s unfortunate passing a few years ago must be continued by honouring Shahlyla’s memory. Arfa’s genius is hailed by associating her name with top-notch IT projects in the country. It can be argued that women’s sports, in fact sports in general in this country, is deserving of the attention of the authorities. Let Shahlyla provide the world of sports a much-needed stimulus. There can perhaps be no bigger honour to a remarkable young woman who was so much in love with football.

Published in Dawn October 17th, 2016