Qazi Ashfaq

Qazi Ashfaq (12 December 1967 – 13 November 2001) was a Pakistani footballer who played as a forward. Considered one of the major Pakistani footballers in the 1990s, he was praised for his skill, speed, and leadership. He was the author of the starter goal in the final against Maldives, which saw Pakistan retain their second title in the 1991 South Asian Games.

Early life
Ashfaq was born on 12 December 1967 in Hassan Abdal, in the Attock district of Pakistan, with his family originally belonging from the North Western Frontier Province.

Club career
Ashfaq initially played for Wohaib FC until joining Punjab, where he won the National Football Championship and played in the 1989–90 Asian Club Championship.

Later on, he joined WAPDA where he won his second league title and played in the 1991 Asian Club Championship.

Ashfaq played a key role in helping Allied Bank football club where he was vice-captain from 1996 to 2000, winning the National Challenge Cup in 1996, 1998 and 1999. He also won the National Football Championship twice with Allied Bank, first in 1997, and then in 1999.

International career
Ashfaq joined the Pakistan national under-23 team for the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Qualifiers. He made his international debut on 22 October 1989 against Nepal in the 1989 South Asian Games. The match played at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad was tied 0–0. Ashfaq scored his first international goal in a 2–0 victory against Maldives in his second game, as Pakistan passed the group stages and won the title by defeating Bangladesh in the final.

In the subsequent 1991 South Asian Games in Colombo under the captainship of Ghulam Sarwar, Ashfaq scored against Bangladesh, qualifying Pakistan for the final against Maldives. In the dying minutes of the game, Ashfaq scored the first goal in the 83rd minute before Mohammad Nauman Khan, finishing the match by a 2–0 victory for Pakistan, and winning their second title in the competition.

Ashfaq also represented the national team in the inaugural 1993 SAFF Championship in Lahore, 1995 in Colombo, 1997 in Kathmandhu, and 1999 in Goa. He was also present in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

He was the captain of the national team from 1996 until 1999 before Haroon Yousaf.

Death
Ashfaq passed away on 13 November 2001 at the Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore, after fighting cancer for two years. At the time of his death, he was reportedly wearing the shirt of his club Allied Bank, for which he had played in the later years of his career.

International goals

 * Scores and results list Pakistan's goal tally first.

Punjab

 * National Football Championship: 1990,


 * Allied Bank


 * National Football Championship: 1997(1), 1999
 * Pakistan National Football Challenge Cup: 1996, 1998, 1999

Pakistan

 * South Asian Games: 1989, 1991