Karachi’s Lyari district challenges media stereotypes through women’s boxing initiative
Coach Younus Qambrani’s programme has produced Pakistan’s first female world boxing champion, offering a counterpoint to Bollywood’s portrayal of the area as a crime hotspot.
Younus Qambrani, a 60-year-old boxing coach in Karachi’s Lyari district, has established the Pak-Shaheen Boxing Club to train young girls in the sport, challenging local gender stereotypes and countering the area’s reputation for gangland violence. Qambrani began training girls in 2013 after observing female participation in karate and facing initial resistance from peers who claimed girls had "weak brains." His club has contributed to the development of prominent female boxers in Pakistan, including Aliya Soomro, the country’s first woman to win a world boxing title (WBA Asia 105-pound category).
The initiative serves as a counter-narrative to Lyari’s reputation as a gangland backdrop for Bollywood films, such as Dhurandhar and its sequel, which have grossed more than $100 million each. Anthropologists note that media portrayals often reduce Lyari to a crime backdrop, overlooking its rich cultural history and political significance. Social anthropologist Adeem Suhail compared the neighbourhood’s media portrayal to the reduction of Naples or Sicily to mere Mafia stereotypes, ignoring their status as major cultural hubs.
Qambrani maintains an extensive digital and physical archive of his students’ progress, including WhatsApp videos, photos, and newspaper clippings. The Pak-Shaheen Boxing Club currently trains 10 girls aged eight to 16, who spar for an hour daily (excluding Sundays) and compete in city tournaments every two months. Qambrani is seeking funding and a portable folding boxing ring to expand access to boxing in schools across the neighbourhood.
Lyari, historically a diverse working-class cultural hub, saw peak gang warfare in the mid-2000s, largely dismantled by 2012 security operations known as Operation Lyari. Qambrani, who founded his club in 1992, began training girls in 2013 after observing female participation in karate. His efforts have contributed to the development of female boxers in Pakistan, including Aliya Soomro, the country’s first woman to win a world boxing title.
Anthropologists Adeem Suhail and Sarwat Viqar provided new commentary on the cultural erasure of Lyari, comparing its media portrayal to the reduction of Naples or Sicily to mere Mafia stereotypes. Suhail noted that Lyari has consistently been at the heart of labour movements and a base of support for reformers, while Viqar highlighted that the rich cultural practices of the area have been overlooked in favour of one-dimensional criminal narratives.
