SWAT: The Swat district administration has decided to find an “appropriate location” for a women’s cricket match after protests by local religious leaders in Charbagh tehsil of the district.

The decision was taken a day after a group of residents and some prayer leaders on Sunday intervened to halt the game at Charbagh Cricket Stadium.

The local elders called the game “immodest and inappropriate for the locality”.

After widespread condemnation, the Babuzai assistant commissioner has been ordered to find another location to hold the match, Additional Deputy Commissioner Sohail Khan told Dawn on Monday.

According to Mr Khan, Swat Deputy Commissioner Dr Qasim Ali Khan has instructed the assistant commissioner “to identify an appropriate location for the women’s cricket match”.

“We will promptly arrange a formal cricket match for the women players of Swat and we will not tolerate any interference in this regard,” he told Dawn.

The organisers of the match, including Ayesha Ayaz, the youngest gold medalist in Taekwondo for Pakistan, expressed satisfaction over the district administration’s decision.

“The girls in this region have immense potential and they should step forward to represent our country because they are exceptionally talented,” said Ms Ayaz, adding that she was committed to promoting sports in the region.

“We have highly skilled and capable sportswomen in cricket, badminton, table tennis, volleyball, football and various other sports. They must play with freedom.”

She also expressed gratitude to her father, Ayaz Naik, for his supp­o­­rt, mentioning that he had encou­raged her to pursue Taekwondo, enabling her to “proudly represent” Pakistan. She emphasised her dedication to contributing positively through athletic endeavours.

Mr Naik, who was also one of the organisers, said many female cricket players in Swat wanted to play cricket professionally.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2023