Six diaspora players join Pakistan women’s football camp

KARACHI: Pakistan Women’s Football Team is set to bolster its squad with a wave of overseas talent ahead of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers, sources familiar with the selection process confirmed to Geo News.

In a bid to enhance its competitiveness, the team’s management has identified six new diaspora players with professional experience in European and North American leagues for inclusion in the provisional squad, which is yet to be officially announced.

Among the standout additions are British-Pakistani midfielder Layla Banaras, formerly of Birmingham City, and Mariam Mahmood, a striker currently playing for England’s West Bromwich Albion. 

Also joining the ranks is Aqsa Mushtaq, who features for OFI Crete in Greece's top division and has previously competed in Italy’s Serie A.

The squad will also benefit from the inclusion of Zeeyana Jivraj, a Canada-based goalkeeper with experience in Portugal’s top league and now playing for Northern Colorado Women’s FC in the USA's WPSL. 

Defensive options have been boosted with Marsha Malik (Solihull Moors) and Azwa Chaudhry (West Ham United youth team), both based in England.

“Bringing in players with competitive league experience abroad is part of the plan to raise the team's level before the qualifiers,” a source close to the selection told Geo News.

The training camp is expected to kick off on June 19 in Islamabad, with Maria Khan leading the side as captain. Pakistan has been placed in Group E of the qualifiers, where they will face Chinese Taipei on June 29, Indonesia on July 2, and Kyrgyzstan on July 5.

Provisional Squad for the Training Camp

Alia Sadiq, Amina Hanif, Anmol Hira, Aqsa Mushtaq, Azwa Chaudhry, Isra Khan, Jennah Farooki, Layla Banaras, Maria Khan (Captain), Mariam Mahmood, Nadia Khan, Nisha Ashraf, Nizalia Siddiqui, Rameen Fareed, Sanah Mehdi, Sara Khan, Sophiya Qureshi, Suha Hirani, Zeeyana Jivraj, Zehmena Malik, Marsha Malik, Zufia Nazeer