Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, announced that the government is working on a policy to promote football and women’s sports within the country. This announcement comes on the heels of the national women’s team’s impressive second-place finish in the Four-Nation Cup in Saudi Arabia.
The tournament, which was the second international event for Pakistan following FIFA’s lifting of the ban on the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), saw the women’s team secure a draw against eventual champions, Saudi Arabia to end up in the second spot.
Shehbaz Sharif took to Twitter to extend his congratulations to Saudi Arabia for their title win and praised the national team for their performance. He specifically highlighted the contribution of the skipper Maria Khan, which helped the Women in Green level the game.
The Prime Minister also emphasized that the government is actively working on a policy to promote football and women’s sports, writing, “We are working on a policy to promote football and women’s sports in Pakistan.”
Congratulations to Saudi Arabia for winning this tournament and proud of our Women’s National Team 🇵🇰 finishing 2nd. Special congratulations to Maria Khan for scoring this spectacular goal. We are working on policy to promote football and women’s sports in Pakistan https://t.co/3QKcgIT4WC
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) January 20, 2023
During the match against Saudi Arabia, the hosts took an early lead in the first half, but Pakistan’s team fought back and equalized with a stunning goal from Maria Khan to draw the match. Prior to the draw against Saudi Arabia, Pakistan lost to Mauritius by 2-1 in their second match and defeated Comoros by 1-0 in their opening encounter.
The government’s commitment to promoting football and women’s sports in Pakistan is a significant step towards the development of sports in the country. This policy is likely to provide more opportunities for women to participate in sports and help to improve the standard of football in Pakistan.
