The Pakistan Football Federation reaffirmed its commitment to expand womens football after hosting the first-ever PFF Women’s Football Symposium in Islamabad, where PFF President Syed Mohsen Gilani declared “every year will be the year of women’s football in Pakistan”.
The symposium brought together stakeholders from the football and development sectors and served as a platform to exchange ideas and outline a strategic roadmap for future growth under the newly elected PFF administration.
Mr Gilani highlighted the recent rise of Pakistan women’s football on the international stage, saying it was encouraging to hear Pakistan being “the talk of the town” at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver and he credited the Pakistan Sports Board for its support. He stressed that womens football must extend beyond the national team to the wider ecosystem of players, coaches, referees and fans, noting that the game needs substance rather than gloss and that women should lead women’s football structures.
Chief Guest Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto, Member of National Assembly, congratulated the federation on the national team’s FIFA Series campaign, participation in the SAFF Futsal Championship and AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers, saying Pakistani women continue to break barriers when given opportunities.
Secretary IPC and Pakistan Sports Board Director General Mohyuddin Ahmed Wani announced plans for a national schoolgirls football tournament and pledged institutional support for logistics, grounds and equipment to help scale grassroots access across Pakistan.
FIFA Head of Development Ariana Demirovic praised Pakistan’s growing presence in international women’s football and reiterated FIFA’s willingness to support long-term development initiatives for womens football.
Representatives from Right To Play, UN Women, media, coaches and former players contributed to discussions that centred on creating safe playing spaces, strengthening grassroots structures, training female coaches and expanding school football programmes to widen participation nationwide.
Mejzgaan Orakzai, PFF Head of Women’s Football, presented the federation’s strategic vision while PFF COO Shahid Khokhar reiterated the federation’s commitment to building sustainable pathways for women in the sport, signalling a coordinated push to make womens football a durable and inclusive part of Pakistan’s sporting landscape.
