Ludhiana: They say first impression is the last impression. "If Kashmir were independent, the girls would want to play for Kashmir. If they treat us like that, what do they expect from us?" Afshan asked. “I was the only one who used to play with boys,” she said. Football has made sure many girls come out of the state to study so that they can play the game. "I'm a goalkeeper, I just have a good throw," she says. "My family is based in Srinagar but I go back home rarely now. Agitated at this action from police, Afshan along with her team started pelting stones at the police. Kashmiri footballer Afshan Ashiq learnt that the hard way as she struggles to overcome the image that thrust her into the limelight for the wrong reasons. "I faced resistance from my parents, but as I began to have successes, winning some matches and getting some medals, they began to change their minds. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. "Pulwama and Pampore also produce players but there are no facilities for girls to play. She finds the whole stone-pelting affair a bit embarrassing and feels it distracts from her on-field skills. Due to hartals I have to stay at home and I don't want that.”, "The girls over there (Srinagar) call me asking me to come back because I was the only one who used to coach them. This is when some photographers covering the protest clicked Afshan Ashiq and the picture went viral on social media in December 2017. They (police) abused us, slapped my students. Before pursuing her playing career outside the state, she used to coach the girls there and that was a massive struggle in itself. Also read: Afshan Ashiq: Fighting the tag of a stone pelter through football. Ms Ashiq, the stone-pelting goalie, agrees — though she puts it in a slightly more telling way. J&K has even started an annual winter rugby tournament, where teams from all over India fly north to play in the snow. Athiya’s performance in the film was well appreciated. What gave her away was the dress she wore during the protest. Kashmiri footballer Afshan Ashiq learnt that the hard way as she struggles to overcome the image that thrust her into the limelight for the wrong reasons. While the sports secretary was supportive, Afshan was grounded for a month after her father learnt about it.She missed out on a month of football and that left her restless during the entire period. I couldn't help it," Ms Ashiq says of her throwing the rock. "There is the conflict and then there's sport," he says. "We came up with the idea of bringing people together on the playing field — a much more inclusive place than the mosque, the temple or the church," he says. The game of touch that ends the training is refereed by Mehru Nisa, 17, who is in her second year of playing. The 52 sports range from already established favourites like cricket and soccer, to lesser-known options like gymnastics and mountaineering. I was coaching in Kashmir but I want to pursue my playing career right now.”. "In the town where I am from, it isn't normal for a young woman to leave her home to learn how to play rugby," says Irtiqa Ayoub, 23, who has become one of Kashmiri rugby's leading lights. Media made that kind of odd narrative and I was like 'please remove that label'," she said. This is not the first time images of young stone-pelting girls have emerged from the Valley. "You may even say a radical or oppressive region. When J&K first installed a set of donated goal posts on the sparse grass of the empty lot that's become Srinagar's rugby pitch, locals had no idea what the sticks were for. Conflict between young people and authorities is common in the streets of Srinagar. He was like 'give me five minutes, you will come to know what you did'.”. Today Ms Ashiq is the captain for the J&K state women's squad and goalie for a Mumbai team in the Indian Women's League. The event organized by Union Ministry of … "It was very unfortunate". So that's why I shifted from playing to coaching so that we get a good girls' team,” she said. Now they support me fully.". On the face of it, Ms Nisa's dream of playing for India, like Ms Ashiq's and Ms Ayoub's, may seem like a betrayal of Kashmir's drive for independence. She was labelled as a stone-pelter and her story became that of a 'stone-pelter-turned footballer'. Just 24 years old, Afshan runs a club called Unique Football Girls in Srinagar where around 150 girls receive training. For one month I could not play football and it was really hard for me. "People asked if they were some kind of artwork or had some religious significance," says Irfan Aziz Botta, J&K's chief rugby coach. "They were smashing into each other like cars!". Afshan said she was thinking of going back home and begin working with the girls there again. Her story, however, has a silver lining. "I reject that argument," Mr Para says. Afshan played two matches in the IWL before being sidelined with an injury. Meet Afshan Ashiq — the girl from Kashmir once infamous as a stone-pelter. Afshan is currently pursuing her playing career in Mumbai after giving her early years to coaching in her state. Afshan Ashiq is a rising soccer star, but she is perhaps most famous for throwing a rock. At the junior nationals, we conceded a lot. She is amazing. "It's true that, with the boys in particular, we're trying to channel their natural, youthful energy into something more constructive than street protests, which can lead to prison or worse. EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Mehru Nisa as Soliha Yousuf. 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Since her face was covered, Afshan didn't think people would know that it was she who threw the stones. I want to play for a team from my state," Afshan quipped. The rise of politically-motivated conflict and its obvious relevance in the day to day lives of the people here, naturally, escalates the tension in the Valley. I started my football education under Abdullah Dar but now he's also aged. CM also met Afshan Ashiq, whose photo became the new defining image of stone pelters in the valley Yet a photo of Ms Ashiq in that moment made her a sensation. ", "To create a space where girls can come and feel confident that they're in charge of their own bodies was very important to us.". A photograph that captured her hurling stones in rage at … Post the incident, Afshan had to tackle the media, the Jammu and Kashmir sports secretary and her family - and all of them had their own set of challenges. But Mr Botta disagrees. It was a small town love story between two mismatches. I would like very much to play for India.". I wanted that if my girls train everyday, they should get also get to play in some tournaments in order to get experience but there were too many issues around it.”. "After two months, my dad came to know about the incident and I was not allowed to leave home for one month. "After that incident, when I went for training, I thought nobody would know that it was me, but the sports secretary came and said 'you are famous on social media now'. "We live in a conservative region," says Waheed Rehman Para, youth president and spokesman of J&K Peoples Democratic Party. "My life has not been the same after that, people know me now" - both the good and the bad. In 15 days, you can't become a good football player. Afshan Ashiq is a rising soccer star, but it was a rock thrown at a policeman that scored her viral fame and a Bollywood spin-off. (Photo Credit: AIFF), "I'm playing in Mumbai for PIFA and I'm playing for Kolhapur here. After talking to parents of some children interested in the sport, she decided to take it up. This conflict can be in the form of racism, communalism- ultimately, they all end in the same way. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Cricketer Virat Kohli will be together in a dialogue on Fit India. Mr Para was inspired to create the program, modelled on the Australian Sports Commission, by the division and conflict he saw in his state's young people. ... Constitution gives liberty to every citizen to adopt any religion of his or her choice: Asaduddin Owaisi. 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Afshan said her protest was only against the local police and not the Army. She was still wearing that when she went for training. Read more about Let elders deal with bigger issues: CM Mehbooba Mufti to Kashmir students on Business Standard. “We have this mentality that girls can't play and I used to tell them (the J&K association) that give me a ground anywhere, I will train them and they used to say we can't give you an open ground.” After a lot of struggle, she managed to get the TRC ground from the government to train girls. Afshan herself played with boys when she was growing up and received formal coaching at Lonestar Kashmir first and later RKFC, which started in 2015. They want to play at the highest level available to them, which is the Indian national team. "We have reached a position now where it's not easy for them to attack us," Mr Para says. In the ongoing Indian Women's League (IWL), she was sidelined with an injury. 23 साल की अफशां अब जम्मू और कश्मीर महिला फुटबॉल टीम की कप्तान और गोलकीपर बन चुकी हैं और अब वह पीछे मुड़कर नहीं देखना चाहतीं। Be it the opponent parties in the Kashmir […] Then one day I was having dinner with dad and he looked at me and said, 'why are you crying?' Ms Ashiq was asked to meet J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, the sports academy where she coached doubled its female enrolments, and Bollywood movie about her life was rushed into the works. He then allowed me to go out and I could play again.". Kashmir’s most famous “stone pelter”—a term given to the young people who face off against the Indian security forces armed with little more than rocks—is arguably Afshan Ashiq. "It's also the best way I can represent Kashmir to the rest of India and the world.". I was like 'you ask me to sit at home, what do I do'. They will practice the whole year but they won't play a game, so they won't know where they lack. Currently, Afshan is single. I want to play for India and this and the Nationals are the only ways to get selected for the national camp.". a disgruntled student, Afshan Ashiq led other girls in throwing stones at the police on Srinagar streets. There are now 4000 young people playing rugby in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, the three regions that comprise J&K, with the girls' teams in particular drawing a good deal of international attention. "I'm a goalkeeper, I just have a good throw," she says. The young women's participation in the contact sport isn't without its critics. Afshan is … You need to train the entire year.”, She said that the J&K State Football Academy told her they would form a team for the girls but that never materialised. "I wanted to play but my coach suggested that there rarely are women coaches in our state and I talked to parents and they wanted a woman to coach their girls. Paralympic javelin gold medallist Devendra Jhajharia and footballer from Jammu and Kashmir Afshan Ashiq were the first ones to speak at the event. Yet some fear this new-found focus on sport unwisely redirects young people's focus away from the struggle against Indian control. A photograph that captured her hurling stones in rage at policemen has become the new defining image of stone pelters in the valley. Earlier, the clamor for governor’s control in violence-hit Kashmir is likely growing. According to media reports, Athiya will now be seen in footballer Afshan Ashiq’s biopic ‘Hope Solo’, in which she is playing the title role. Ashiq, who defends the 24-foot-long and 8-foot-high goal post for her team, said the youth in Kashmir Valley was talented and all that they required was a platform. Once known as an irate student leader, today she is the poster girl for every football fan in Jammu and Kashmir. There are 2-3 students of mine who play outside.”, "There aren't many coaches for women's football. Incidentally, the chief minister had yesterday met 21-year-old football coach Afshan Ashiq. Speaking at the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Conclave in Srinagar, Rajnath said, "When I was in Delhi, I met He is a C-License coach. My colleague, who is the coach, asked me to talk to the girls. Ms Ashiq is one of a growing number of Kashmiri women taking up sport, despite protests from religious conservatives in the region, including Islamist militants fighting the Indian administration. Fit India Dialogue with PM Modi: Virat Kohli on fitness mantra & 'Yo-Yo' test: Prime Minister.. News video on One News Page on Thursday, 24 September 2020 Their participation has in part been inspired by a recent government push to boost 52 different sports in the conflicted region, offering a positive outlet for young people who are often engaged in violent street protests. "I saw a video online," one girl says. Paralympic javelin gold medallist Devendra Jhajharia and footballer from Jammu and Kashmir Afshan Ashiq were the first ones to speak at the event. The whistle between her teeth, her hijab only a little dusty, she says the sport has changed her life. She always asks me about what to do next.”. "I was labelled as a stone pelter-turned into footballer, but I have always been a footballer, that was just one day,” she told News18.com at the sidelines of Indian Women’s League, where she played for FC Kolhapur City. Afshan Ashiq: From stone-pelter to captain of J&K women's football team 21-year-old Afshan Ashiq and team met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday. Guccis latest collection at the Milan Fashion Week was weird to say the least. I was like 'what did I do? That's our hope for them as well.". I used to train them at the TRC Ground.”, "Right now one of my colleagues at Unique Football Girls, Masood, he is taking care of the girls. Interest in her story exploded. Not only was she an elegantly dressed woman — most "stone-pelters", as they are known in the Indian media, are young men — it later emerged that she was also one of the state's best soccer players. They don't have a particular coach. A photo of Afshan - her face covered with a dupatta - throwing a stone at the Jammu and Kashmir police was shared wildly. By freelance correspondent Matthew Clayfield. In the past, Afshan has also been known as Afshan S Baledina and Afshan A Ali. I was playing for J&K last year and before that I played for Mumbai in the qualifier. "It happened in 2017. Ramadan, Islam's holiest month, is a difficult time of year to get people out to training. But it would be foolish to try to and distract from the conflict, which is a part of everyday life here.". A photograph that captured her hurling stones in rage at … "It's all anyone ever wants to talk about," she says. Tanzeela is going to Baroda and she will play football there. Previous to Afshan's current city of Carrollton, TX, Afshan Baledina lived in The Colony TX. “I told him that I'm injured but he told me to play for experience, so I played for two games but I couldn't after that. Can AI And Facial Recognition Keep Women Safe In UP? There is one girl, Tanzeela. "Becoming India's goalie at the national level is definitely my dream," she says. The girls had been training for 15 days in the camp. 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