Carla Khan, a former England junior international and grand-daughter of the
legendary Azam Khan, is taking legal advice after being prevented from
playing for Pakistan at the Asian Games at Busan, reports the Malaysian Star.
**Carla, who is British born and bred but wants to play for the land of the
world-beating Khans who are her ancestors, claims it is inhumane for her
to be made to live in Pakistan as it is at the moment.
After being denied playing in Manchester on the very eve of the Commonwealth
Games, she was again led to expect that she would be included in a Pakistan
squad, only to be rejected because she doesn’t live there. **
The Pakistan Squash Federation claims the rules of the Olympic Council of
Asia and the Asian Squash Federation prevent Carla from playing and says
that “we at the PSF have great sympathies and her absence will be felt by
all of us here.”
However, her father Wasil Khan is now seeking to discover whether the
decision can be contested as a human rights issue.
“It’s not practical to ask her to live in Pakistan for two years,” he said.
And she should have the right to play for her ancestors and her history.
We haven’t had much sympathy from any of the game’s governing bodies but
we could certainly use some help right now."
**Carla points out that she has a Pakistani passport, that her family has
residences in Pakistan, that she is Pakistan’s natio-nal champion – having
played in long sleeves and trousers to meet cultural requirements – and
that she trained in Pakistan to gain selection. **
“I want to live up to my heritage,” the 20-year-old said.
And I want to build bridges between two cultures. I have a foot in both
countries and would love to help Islam and the Western world to understand
each other better." Her ideals, which seem particularly relevant in the
post-Sept 11th world, have not so far brought harmony within her own family.
Grandfather Azam Khan, four times a British Open champion in the 1950s and
a contender for the accolade of the greatest ever, has disassociated himself
from her ambitions, believing them incompatible with proper Muslim traditions.
Despite this, Carla remains undaunted. “Whether or not I am a good player,
I am sure I could help Pakistan if I played,” the world number 41 said.
“I want to be the first female Khan to make a name in squash. And I think it
would help the sport as well. I know I have a lot of work to do and that I am
not the best player in the world by far, but I have brought a lot of publicity
into the game and would like to go on doing that.”
After the commonwealth games Carla is now again being denied the chance to play for the country of her choice. She holds Pakistani nationality and therefore I don’t see any reason why she should be denied the opportunity to represent her country regardless of where she lives. Good for her if she takes her case to court.
