Shahida Raza

Shahida Raza (; 1990s – 26 February 2023) was a Pakistani field hockey and football player known as "Chintu" by her teammates. She captained the national team in hockey, and had also represented Pakistan in football and martial arts. She died when a migrant boat sank off the coast of Italy on 26 February 2023.

Early life and career Raza, known by the nickname Chintu, was from the mountainous region of Quetta. She began her career in field hockey in 2007, and played on teams sponsored by the Army, the Water & Power Development Authority (WAPDA), and Pakistan Railways. She played for Pakistan in the 2009 Asian Hockey Federation U-18 Girls' Cup, and at senior level in the 2012 Asian Hockey Federation Cup. A half-back, Domestically, she was on the WAPDA team that reached the finals of the 2012 Pakistan Hockey Federation U-21 Girls Cup. domestically, she played for Balochistan United W.F.C., with whom she had reached eight national championship finals.

She also competed nationally and internationally as a professional kickboxer and in wushu.

Her sponsorships were terminated in the 2020s, during a severe economic crisis, leaving her jobless. after which her husband divorced her and she became a single mother. According to her family and a teammate, when her son was three, she travelled via Iran and Turkey seeking asylum in order to obtain medical treatment and a better future for him.

On February 26, 2023, four months after leaving Pakistan, Raza died in a boat accident off the southern coast of Italy, with at least 58 other migrants, including at least one other Pakistani. According to different sources, she was either 27 or 29 years old.

Reactions The Pakistan Hockey Federation expressed their condolences to Raza's family after her death was confirmed. The Chief Minister of Balochistan also paid tribute to her. The Italian Hockey Federation also expressed their condolences.