According to Indian Media that Journalist Alia Rasheed is one of the competent faces of Pakistan who proves her best contributions in breaking the challenges including social hurdles, social taboos, gender insensitivity widely prevailing a sense of disbelieving that a woman can be proved her excellence in any field of life.
After the Pakistan team had landed with the 1992 World Cup trophy, she had been allocated the task of getting an interview with skipper Imran Khan.
“Impossible,” she was warned by her male colleagues. But Aalia Rasheed, despite running a mild fever, was to do something spectacular that day.
She simply climbed onto the truck carrying some of the players. Even as Javed Miandad shouted, “Aalia, Pagal Ho Gayi hai kya (have you gone crazy)?” she forgot her “dupatta, handbag, Roza and fever” and pulled off an interview with Imran that went on air and was splashed the next day in The News (a Pakistani national daily newspaper)”, read the publication.
Giving an interview to the publication, Aalia admitted that it was challenging at times to make space in a field that is related with men.
“As a woman, I had to counter an inherent assumption that men know more about sports. The pressure of being a female was immense initially. While the public at large encouraged it, specialists, including players in the field, didn’t, if I may say so. Sexist remarks, flirtation from those you get in contact for information including some players, administrators, and sadly from amongst your own colleagues is a constant pressure being a female working in a field dominated by men.
“I was no exception to this rude behaviour, but I remained steadfast. The initial days were very challenging, but with the growth of television, more and more space has been created for women to enter the field once reserved for men only.”
Besides Alia, the publication also recognised the efforts of India’s Mayanti Langar, the affable presenter with Star Sports, and BBC’s Alison Mitchell.
“It has not been an easy job for this trio to establish themselves in a male-dominated field,” the publication concluded.
