KHYBER: The first-ever cycle rally for girls was held in Landi Kotal tehsil of Khyber district on Friday under the Global Sports Mentoring Programme.

The event organiser, Jamima Afridi, who also belongs to Landi Kotal and is a social activist, told Dawn that 15 girls participated in the event.

She said international woman cyclist, Samar Khan was the moving spirit behind organising the first-ever such event in any of the newly-merged districts.

Ms Afridi said she and Samar Khan imparted one-day training to the participants of the rally as they showed keen interest in learning cycling.

She said all the participating girls had prior permission from their parents and mothers of some of them also spent the whole day watching their daughters learn the art of cycling.

She said that though the training was imparted a day before the rally in a walled compound, the rally was then held at Tatara sports ground where some limited number of female spectators were also in attendance.

Ms Afridi said that they had plans to organise more such sporting events for the tribal girls, enabling them to compete at the national and international levels.

Speaking after the rally, Samar Khan said environment in the tribal areas was totally different from what she had heard about it prior to her visit.

She said that tribal people were very cooperative and keen to allow their daughters to participate in such healthy and productive activities.

She said that tribal girls had great potential and there was a dire need of providing them basic and modern sporting facilities.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2022