One day on a summer afternoon, when Iran Shahzadi was returning home all alone through deserted streets, some young men on motorcycles tried to stop her and were about to snatch away her belongings. But this was to be no ordinary robbery. The young woman responded to them with a series of well-executed strikes with her arms and legs. Under the impact of her calculated and well-trained blows, the would-be robbers fell down from their bikes . Shahzadi herself was astounded at her skills. She had never faced such a perilous situation before. But it would appear she had been well prepared for it through her martial arts training. Kicking and punching is her game. It was combat sport which brought her fame as a national champion.

She hails from a small village, Dera Khalsa, in tehsil Kallar Syedan. The story of Iran Shahzadi and her twin sister Kiran is a story of courage and breaking traditional expectations imposed by society. It is important to remember that their social context is that of other young women in a rural setting, helping with the many laborious tasks of daily life.

But what makes their story different is that at a young age they enrolled in a local private school cum karate academy in a neighbouring village, Shah Bagh, just half a mile away from their home. There it was that their journey to national champion began. Since then they have never looked back, winning both national and international laurels.

Shah Bagh village is some 15 km away from Rawat, the historic town of the Pothohar region of Kallar Syedan. This village is known for producing karateka (practitioners of the martial art of Karate) and judoka (practitioners of Judo) at an extraordinary rate. What is even more impressive is that they are mostly young women. A Karate academy in Shah Bagh, with limited facilities, is serving the community for nearly two decades .In recent years, some 20 young women from here have achieved prominence on the national Karate scene, and 3 have gone on to international contests. In 2010 one such fighter from the same academy, Sara Nasir, won the first ever SAF games gold medal for Pakistan – becoming an inspiration for younger girls in the region.

Talking about her journey to national champion, Iran Shahzadi says it was not at all easy. In her traditional background, such things are mostly considered the domain of men.

“When we are training we leave home and are cut off from social life for months on end,” she explains.

“I have represented Pakistan in the 2016 SAF games held in India and bagged a bronze medal in the Judo 52 kg category. Currently my sister and I are national judo champions.”

Iran Shahzadi, after matriculation, left her studies and focused solely on her passion for Karate and Judo. Only later did she complete an F.A from Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad. “Every girl should train in these sports to protect herself. Girls have to be powerful not only economically but also physically!” she believes.

But Iran is doubtful and worried about her future in Karate .She wants to go to Japan for training. Her dream is to represent Pakistan in the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where for the first time ever, Karate is to be included as an Olympic sport.

The Shahzadi sisters and Sara Nasir are not the only champions to come from this place. Sidra Batool Kazmi is a Judo and Taekwondo athlete who represented Pakistan at the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Faiza Shakeel is another international martial arts athlete from here.

Sadia Azhar, Rimsha Shahzadi and Umm e Fiza, Moniba Khalid, Kiran Yaseen, Syeda Laraib Zehra and others have achieved prominence on a national level and dozens of other female athletes have competed at the tehsil, district and division level. Many of the girls are running their own Karate academies, instructing young girls and becoming bread-earners for their families.

27-year-old Sara Nasir is the only female karateka to have bagged a gold medal at the South Asian Games in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in February 2010. Sarah won the gold in the 53 kg kumite (sparring) and a bronze in kata (choreographed patterns of movement taught in martial arts) events there. A student of the Shotokan style, she earned her black belt at the age of nine! .Apart from her international and national-level achievements in martial arts, she is also an amateur painter and a professional chef. She attributes her decision to take up martial arts, as well as all her subsequent success, to her mother’s support.

“I joined the Army in 2004 when Karate was included in National Games for the first time.” Nasir recalls her journey. “The Army was making a team for that purpose. The next step was to win the Pakistan colours, which was not so easy. But I really wanted to represent my country. I outdid myself during the camp held in preparation for the South Asian Games. In fact, I thought that if I didn’t get the colours, I would say goodbye to the sport altogether!”

After completing her Masters in Business Administration, she could not find any job relevant to her degree and there was no future for her in professional Karate in Pakistan. So she left the Karate career. She now works as a chef in a five-star hotel. She is not hopeful about a future in sports. According to her, there is no encouragement and no career security. The best possibilities for young female martial artists might be to land a job in the Army or to run their own academies. Despite all this, her love of the sport remains. She thinks Karate should be taught to every little girl so as to provide an additional defence against sexual assault and other forms of violence.

As for Sidra Batool Kazmi, the rising taekwondo champion, she was born to a religious Syed family of the neighbouring village of Nothia. Like many other girls of Shah Bagh and nearby villages, she is following the footsteps of its champion women fighters.

Kiran Yasin is a physical training instructor at a reputed English-medium school in Islamabad and also runs a Martial Arts Training Academy. She says: “I am lucky that my family supported me. I am a trainer to school pupils and also provide training to other girls at my academy.”

Iran Shahzadi says it was not at all easy. In her traditional background, such things are mostly considered the domain of men

At least some of the success of these champions can be attributed to Shah Bagh’s martial arts instructor, Pervaiz Iqbal Vicky. It has been more than two decades since he established a school in Shah Bagh. “Later I realised the need for physical training for pupils especially girls. I was then a Karate and Judo athlete myself.” Today, he runs a disciplined training regimen.

“Our school schedule is quite strict. Students come early in the morning before the start of their daily routine and studies. We always worked with very limited facilities and the girls proved they can do anything. In Shah Bagh village there is no playground but our girls proved they are second to none in motivation and achievement.”

Martial arts are not merely a sport for Pervaiz Iqbal Vicky:

“The tactical defence skills that we teach here give you confidence and help fight against robbery, sexual assault and domestic violence. Many young girls of the area are interested in learning how to protect themselves against violent situations. The government should think about martial arts as a compulsory subject until 8th grade!” he recommends.