PESHAWAR: Women have always been depicted as fragile and delicate in worldly matters particularly in literary pursuits or physical activities and this mindset is virtually ingrained in a male dominated patriarchal society in Pakistan.

However, there are many women in the country who have discarded the stereotype image, and proved their mettle in their chosen professional field.

One such outstanding and remarkable example is Maryam Nasim, an intrepid and determined young lady who has outclassed her male counterparts in a field said to be the exclusive domain of men.

Believe it or not powerlifting and bodybuilding are Maryam’s forte and not only has she shattered the myth she has proved herself by winning multiple medals in many competitions.

Hailing from K-P considered to be a conservative area of the country in relation to women Maryam comprises 0.3 per cent of sportswomen in the province.

While most other girls opt for softer sports like volleyball, badminton, volleyball, and handball, but she has chosen the gruelling sports of a male oriented activity.

Background information

Maryam Nasim belongs to Peshawar from a business family. She is the eldest of four siblings, who has become a role model for others to emulate.

She obtained her early education from Peshawar and graduated in Australia in the field of accounts, Besides a lucrative bank job in Melbourne she also took part in powerlifting and will soon be vying for the world’s championship.

She is also a certified nutritionist and blogger who guides various sports professionals such as coaches .

“When I moved to Australia, I was looking for activities on campus and started running initially, and then powerlifting was a sport activity which attracted me a lot.” Despite several warnings from the family members and colleagues that she had made a wrong choice, she persisted in her pursuit and now everyone appreciated her efforts, Maryam said.

She said that there are three types of lifting, but her field of expertise is powerlifting, which requires more energy and difficult task.

Achievements

Maryam has won a silver medal last year, secured a bronze medal at Avia powerlifting competition. Despite sustaining an injury she defied all odds and won the medal.

She participated in the -57 and 63 kilograms category of the event alongside participants from seven other countries and made her mark and won recognition among the sports community of Australia and Pakistan.

In recognition of her services for K-P and Australia the district government has awarded her sport recognition award (Fakhr-e-Peshawar) last year and the provincial sports ministry has offered her space for coaching and imparting training to men and women in the province. She hoped that she would win more medals for her country, but stressed that practice and physical fitness is the key to success. She said that she has been practicing hard since last year to get her eligibility certificate for competing for world tournament.

Athlete and dietician

Attired in the traditional Peshawar outfit, with light makeup and with a childish smile, she doesn’t appear to be a powerlifter. From her grace she represented the banking sector professional. But besides power lifting game, she is professional dietician and coach for sports people.

“ I am looking forward to having my own platform to utilise my knowledge and expertise to give basic health information to the majority of K-P women. She stressed on that note Pakistani women don’t have the stamina and will for physical exercise, nor do they keep their body slim and strong, only few recognise this.

“ I will provide free consultation, coaching and guideline to every sportsperson in the province” She said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26th, 2018.

Police booked the nephew of Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri for allegedly robbing a businessman in the federal capital.

A first information report (FIR) was registered at Shalimar police station claiming that the nephew of the religious minister, Zulfiqar Qadri, snatched a vehicle from Amjad Saeed.

The FIR also stated that six of Zulfiqar’s guards also assaulted Saeed’s son during the alleged robbery.

The businessman claimed in the police report that Zulfiqar had tried to abduct his son and justice should be delivered as per the law of the land.

Pakistan Army has shot down yet another Indian spy drone hovering over this side of the Line of Control (LoC) after intruding into the Chirikot sector in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the military’s media wing said.

“Pakistan Army troops shot down an Indian spy drone while it violated LoC in Chirikot Sector. The drone has been taken over by Pakistan Army troops,” said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Tuesday.

“This is 4th drone which has been shot down by Pakistan Army troops in last one year,” the ISPR added.

The instances of ceasefire violations by the Indian forces recorded an alarming increase since the start of the month February following which the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has readied an evacuation plan for the residents near the LoC.

Last week, Pakistan lodged a protest with India against the ceasefire violations, summoning Indian Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh at the Foreign Office.

LAHORE: Two men were killed in a road accident in Sundar area of the metropolis on Sunday. Police said Abdul Razzaq and Nasir Khan were traveling on a motorcycle when a speedy dumper hit them. The victims fell down, suffered injuries and were admitted to a nearby hospital where doctors pronounced them dead on arrival. The driver of the dumper fled from the scene. On information of the incident, a police team reached the spot and shifted the bodies to the morgue for autopsy. They also collected forensic evidences from the crime scene and recorded statements of the eyewitnesses. Police have impounded the dumper. According to initial investigations, the victims belonged to Vehari District. They worked in a factory in Sundar Industrial Estate.

KARACHI: Amid the rifts between its various factions, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has suffered greatly. The Senate elections proved that a divided MQM is one lacking power.

Despite Farooq Sattar’s efforts, and sacrifices, Kamran Tessori was not elected to the Senate. The Bahadurabad group failed to win more than a single seat. Even on the day of the Senate elections, members of both groups were divided – three MQM MPAs did not cast their votes, while 14 voted against their party heads’ decisions.

Despite its 38 members in the Sindh Assembly, the once powerful MQM won only a single Senate seat – Barrister Farogh Nasim. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) swept the elections by bagging 10 seats. The last seat was won by Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, which has only nine votes in the assembly.
The party’s strategy in the Senate elections proved to be rather unsuccessful. Even though the heads of both factions – Bahadurabad and PIB Colony – held a joint press conference in Islamabad following the announcement of the results, neither trusted nor had confidence in each other. This was illustrated on the day of the elections – all the leaders of the Bahadarabad group sat in Leader of the Opposition Khawaja Izharul Hasan’s chamber and gave MPAs directions. The PIB group leaders sat in parliamentary leader Sardar Ahmed’s chamber.

According to sources, the factions’ differences came out in the open on election day. Sattar briefly visited Hasan’s chamber but spent most of his time in Ahmed’s chamber with Tessori and other leaders.

The sources revealed that both groups expressed concern when they received information that five female MQM MPAs – Naheeda Begum, Naila Latif, Shazia Farooq, Heer Ismail Soho and Sumita Afzal – cast their votes in favor of PPP leaders and left. Due to this development, consultation between both groups began once again.

While the consultations were underway, both the groups received news that an MPA from Sukkur, Saleem Bandhani, came to the assembly with PPP leader Mukesh Chawala and left after casting his vote. This prompted both factions to scramble to begin lobbying for their respective candidates. The Bahadurabad group started lobbying for Nasim, while PIB began campaigning for Tessori.

According to the sources, the six members of the MQM who cast their votes and left were contacted via telephone by both groups but they did not speak to them. The sources also revealed that Sattar told Kunwar Naveed that if the situation continued, they would not be able to secure a single seat. He asked Naveed to get the MPAs on his side to vote for Tessori, to which Naveed expressed dismay that he was still giving priority to Tessori. He also blamed Sattar for the situation, saying it was due to his poor decisions.

According to sources, confusion persisted amongst MQM MPAs, some of whom made a deal with the PPP. Around four members marked an X instead of voting for either candidate in protest.

The Senate election debacle widened the rift between the two factions. Some MQM MPAs told Express News that Sattar put the party at risk for Tessori. They said that they were consulting with other party members regarding the MQM’s political future. One group accused Amir Khan and Faisal Sabzwari of being responsible for the entire situation. They claimed that they want to take over the MQM.

Sources have said that in the coming days, MQM leaders are expected to hold important press conferences.