Karate master teaching children self-defence

Islamabad : Intikhab Alam, a famous Karate player of Pakistan, who had represented the country in the 1996 World Karate Championship in Moscow, Russia, has established a Karate Academy in DHA Phase-II in Rawalpindi to teach young women and children the art of self-defence, enabling them to protect themselves in case they may face any threatening situation.

Intikhab Alam, known as Shihan Intikhab Alam, (Shihan is a title in the game of Karate) said that he established this karate academy in 2019 and the idea to train young women and children the art of self defence came to his mind after he read or heard about acts of violence and sexual abuse against young women and children being reported too frequently.

He started with his own two daughters in the beginning but soon the number of men, women and children coming to his Academy increased to around 150 students, mostly women and young children, both girls and boys.

“Those were such horrifying incidents of physical and sexual abuse against innocent children, girls as well as boys in which most were murdered too. Being father of three daughters, this made me realize how vulnerable the children are becoming in the society. These children, especially girls, are more vulnerable to such acts of extreme and inhuman violence.

Recalling his World Karate Championship appearance, Shihan Intikhab Alam said that he was World No. 5 at that time. “I got hurt in the quarter-finals of the World Championship in Moscow, Russia in 1996 as I fractured a bone in his foot during the fight and was forced to retire and fell out of the competition,” he said.

Shihan Intikhab Alam went to Japan for 18 months training. He joined the famous Humbo Who Ikibakaru in Tokyo and said that he had the honor of attending at least 12 training sessions with legendary Sosai Masutatsu Oyama, the founder of Kyokushinkai Karate while training in Tokyo.

He came back to Karachi, Pakistan in the end of 1989 and represented the Pakistan International Airlines and later the Allied Bank of Pakistan (ABL) in the National Championship and won first prizes for the two organisations.

He was recruited by Pakistan Naval Academy in Karachi as the ‘Civilian Instructor’ and remained attached with the Pakistan Navy for 9 years as Instructor. Besides the cadets in the Pakistan Navy Academy he also trained the PN SSG commandos as well as the PN Marines during this period.