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Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TV Afghan Boxer Pakistan - Safi
HEADLINE: Afghan Refugee Fights to Return to Professional Boxing
TEASER: Muhammad Salim, 22, seeks a sponsor so he can get can return to competition
PUBLISHED AT: 06/16/2022 at 9:20
BYLINE: Muska Safi
CONTRIBUTOR: Nazrana Yousufzai, Roshan Noorzai
DATELINE: Peshawar, Pakistan
VIDEOGRAPHER: Muska Safi
VIDEO EDITOR: Nawid Orokzai
SCRIPT EDITORS: KE; Reifenrath
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original | VOA Afghan Service
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:17
VID APPROVED BY: KE
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[Many Afghans now living as refugees in Pakistan have left their previous lives behind. Others have created new ones that are made more difficult by their refugee status. For VOA, Muska Safi spoke to an Afghan boxer in Peshawar, Pakistan, in a report narrated by Nazrana Yousufzai.]]
((NARRATOR))
22-year-old Afghan boxer Muhammad Salim begins his day selling vegetables in Pakistan’s northern city of Peshawar.
But that’s not what he’s meant to do. Salim is a professional boxer who has competed in nine international competitions in Pakistan.
But for now, his dream of boxing professionally is taking a back seat to his need to support his family.
((Muhammad Salim, Afghan Boxer)) ((Male in Pashto))
“For one, I don’t have a place. I have a vegetable cart. I hardly make 5 to 8 dollars a day, which is not enough for my family expenses. I am also the sole breadwinner. My interest is in boxing, but I am forced to work for survival.”
((NARRATOR))
Salim, who hails from the eastern province of Nangahar in Afghanistan, has been living as a refugee in Pakistan for years.
He began boxing in Pakistan, where he has won three titles. But to get any further, he needs a sponsor.
((Muhammad Salim, Afghan Boxer)) ((Male in Pashto))
“I have participated in nine international contests. This one is the title of Punjab. This one is Peshawar’s title, and the third one is all-Pakistan title. I am top in the international fights in my weight class in Afghanistan, but we need to be sponsored. If we are not sponsored, because of poverty, we are going to be left behind.”
((NARRATOR))
Salim's coach, Javid Rafiqui, wants him to compete outside Pakistan, but without sponsorship, they can’t travel.
((Javid Rafiqui, Boxing Coach)) ((Male in Pashto))
“No one believes me when I tell them. These are the invitations from Kazakhstan that I applied to.”
((NARRATOR))
Pakistani officials say that they are aware of the problems Afghan refugees face, and that they are committed to help.
((Mohammad Abbas Khan, Afghan Refugees Commissioner)) ((Male in Pashto))
“We are focusing on it. You will see in the near future that their participation in sports and educational activities will be equal to those of Pakistani youth.”
((NARRATOR))
But that doesn’t help Salim, whose dreams of hitting the big-time boxing tour remain, for now, on the ropes.
((For Muska Safi in Peshawar, Pakistan - Nazrana Yousufzai - VOANEWS))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateJune 16, 2022 09:17 EDT
BylineMuska Safi
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
