In what is being described as a world record, a girl Neelofar Shirazi from Ughazbanda village is said to have broken 1,000 bricks in 27 minutes at the Sports Stadium in Islamabad.
The video showing her breaking the bricks has been sent to the Guinness Book of World Records.
She broke 150 bricks last year after which she decided to break 1,000 bricks to make a world record. She has previously won a prize of Rs50,000.
Neelofer Shirazi hails from Ughazbanda village in Battagram district and has been living in Islamabad since long. She holds a Master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Peshawar and is currently teaching online. She started proper training in November 2018 and practiced for two hours daily.
Imtiaz Ahmed, the organizer of the event, said that he was proud to work with Neelofar Shirazi. “She has broken 1,000 bricks. We will send her video to the Guinness Book of World Records and put her name in the brick-breaking category,” he said.
“All of this would not have been possible without the support of my parents, my coach, Mr. Chen, and my friends,” Neelofar Shirazi said on the occasion.
She said that as a child she was very shy and cried all the time when someone bothered her. “When someone said something to me in class or in the playground, I used to start crying,” she recalled. She said that Pakistani women had a lot of potential but they needed to be encouraged and supported.
According to Neelofar Shirazi, she spends Sunday being a weekly holiday in the kitchen and does household chores.
Her relatives, friends and the people of Battagram congratulated her on her achievement. Some of them remarked that Neelofar Shirazi has not only broken bricks, but also broken down the taboos associated with women in our society. They said that she has set an example for the girls who were reluctant to listen to their inner voice or felt scared to pursue their goals in the male-dominated society.
Neelofar Shirazi has two brothers and two sisters who are highly educated and working successfully in their respective fields. Her father is a senior government officer.