According to a media report on Wednesday, thirty-two women football players from Afghanistan who were under the threat of Taliban have arrived in Pakistan with their families after the government issued emergency humanitarian visas to evacuate them.
The footballers from the national junior girls' team were supposed to travel to Qatar, where Afghan refugees are being housed at a facility for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but were stranded after a bomb blast at Kabul airport on August 26 that killed 13 US service members and at least 170 Afghans.
The Taliban had threatened these women because of their participation in the sport. In August, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. According to the report, the women football players had gone into hiding to avoid the Taliban.
The decision to bring the 32 footballers to Pakistan was made in collaboration with the British-based NGO Football for Peace, government and the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), which is not recognised by FIFA.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino visited Afghan refugees during his visit to Doha last week, but the global football body has been chastised for its failure to assist female footballers who were still in Afghanistan.
The footballers will be transported from Peshawar to Lahore and housed at the PFF headquarters. The Pakistan Football Federation is the country's governing body for association football. The PFF's headquarters are located in Lahore, Punjab, near the Punjab Stadium.
