On Wednesday, it was announced that the Parachinar Police Station in the tribal region of Kurram in Peshawar had hired the first Christian woman to serve as Station House Officer (SHO).
Samreen Amir, 35 years old, is proud to be a police officer because she believes her appointment shows “a testament to diversity within the police department.” She is well-versed in the Kurram area, having led countless raids and taking part in police drills. According to her, helping silenced and powerless women in the region is her major focus.
Kurram Muhammad Imran, the district police officer, explained that the initiative was taken to address inheritance disputes, domestic abuse, and other challenges that women in the area confront.
The Woman Reporting Centre of the Kurram district was opened in 2020 specifically to handle complaints from local women.
Akhtar Hayat Khan, the Inspector General of Police in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), said that Samreen’s appointment was symbolic of the force’s dedication to promoting gender parity and the advancement of women. He also mentioned that Batgram and Chitral each have a female district police officer, and that there are more women working as traffic police officers in the region than there were before.
Female SHO appointed in Chitral.
He also mentioned that the police station houses a female constable muharrir.
Saima Qadeer, an activist and supporter for women’s rights and issues, called the appointment a “significant achievement” in an interview with The Express Tribune. Despite the security threats in tribal areas, she praised the K-P police for opening doors for minorities and fostering an atmosphere of peace and harmony.
Punjab Police Station Heads of Units Who Are Women
The Inspector General of Police in Punjab, Aamir Zulfiqar Khan, had previously this year given orders for every district in the state to appoint a female SHO at one police station within the next five days.
The IGP instructed all Punjab Police commanding officers to “post one female SHO by Friday in any police station that the DPO thinks fit” as part of his directive titled “Enhance the role of women police officers.”
Women’s support desks were also mentioned, but they were said to be inactive at the time. A female police officer should be present at all police stations in major cities and districts to handle the needs of female victims and applicants.
Mehwish Aslam, a Special Investigations Unit (SIU) officer, became the first female Station House Officer (SHO) in the Hafizabad district at the Lalelki Mandi police station in January 2023 per directives.