Two policewomen from KP representing Pakistan at UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan

• Two women cops from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reach Sudan on UN peace mission
• KP got its first female district police officer this year when Sonia Shamroz was posted as the District Police Officer of Lower Chitral
• Her appointment was lauded internationally since it was a big milestone for a generally conservative province like KP

PESHAWAR: Two women police officers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are representing Pakistan at a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan.

KP police Elite commando Gul Nisa Kundi and ASI Saima Sharif have started their duties in Sudan, confirmed KP police officials.

Kundi belongs to the remote and conservative Tank district.

"I feel proud to be part of the UN mission in Sudan while representing KP Police and my hometown," Kundi said. 

Read more: KP Police appoint first-ever woman DPO for Lower Chitral

In recent years there has been a surge in the number of women officers working as assistant commissioners in the field to prove their mettle. An increasing number of women have started joining the police force as assistant superintendent of police (ASP) and assistant sub-inspector (ASI).

Earlier this year, the KP police appointed its first-ever woman as the district police officer (DPO) for Lower Chitral.

"For the first time in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a woman police officer has been appointed district police chief," KP Police wrote on Twitter, announcing that Sonia Shamroz had been assigned as the DPO for Lower Dir.

'Women officers doing an excellent job'

Deputy Superintendent of Police Shazia Shahid told The News that women officers are doing an excellent job in the field and in offices across KP. "The environment here is friendly and the bosses, colleagues and the public are also friendly due to the values and culture of the province," she said. 

Shahid is the head of the education and awareness wing of the traffic police.

Read more: Women police officers bravely patrol roads in Peshawar

"I deal with hundreds of commuters daily and never found it difficult. In some situations, the public may not cooperate with male officers but they don't argue with the female cops and the situation is handled in a much better way when I approach them," noted Shahid, who served in other provinces while working in the National Highways and Motorway Police.

She said women are equally doing a good job in operations, raids and other duties. She recalled having topped the shooting competition among the 2,700 cops at the Sihala College in Rawalpindi. She also remained the deputy commandant of the NHMP Police Academy.

Women police stations need improvement

SSP Traffic Abbas Majeed Marwat said KP has two women in senior ranks - Shazia Shahid and Aneela Naz.

"They are very active officers. Shazia is mostly on roads regulating traffic while she also goes with her team for awareness sessions to different schools, colleges and universities," he said.

Among the women, Inspector Rizwana was the first SHO of an all-male police station when she was posted in Gulberg a few years back.

A female constable Rafia Qaseem Baig had opted to be trained as the bomb disposal expert, while three sisters from Karak, Rukhsana Gul, Pari Gul and Samina Gul, all went through the bomb disposal training a few months back.

Read more: Peshawar's first female traffic cop becomes a symbol of women empowerment

The three sisters had also opted for the tough commando training of the Elite Police Force that they successfully completed in Nowshera a couple of years back. Theirs is a rare example of three sister commandos in any Asian country.

The women police stations and the female desks in various police stations, however, needed to be improved and made active and effective to help hundreds of female complainants who need police help.