Islamabad - Women police in Pakistan are performing better than the male cops and stand shoulder to shoulder with male police officers in fighting crimes. This was stated by Fauzia Viqar, Chairperson of Punjab Commission on Status of Women, who was one of the speakers at the book launching ceremony “Women Police in South Asia” organised by the Individualland Pakistan, a research consultancy firm in collaboration with Friedrich Naumann Stiftung.
The findings about Pakistani women police were compiled by Individualland Pakistan while findings about women police of other countries India, Bangladesh were compiled by an Irish consultant. Niaz Ahmed Siddiqi, former Inspector General of Police Sindh, one of the speakers at the event, said that a policy of zero tolerance on sexual harassment should be formed in order to protect women and encourage women police to work together with male police officers.
Muhammad Ali Babakhel, DIG investigation KP, said that women police should be given equal opportunities to play their due role. He said that KP police have given elite force training to women police for the first time. “Women police should not be only used for legal formality as they should be provided proper space,” he said.
Farooq Azam, Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilgit Baltistan said that he believes that giving stress on increase the number of women police is wrong but provision of equal opportunities to women police is need of the hour.
Maja Daruwala, Director Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative said: “Women are massively underrepresented in the senior ranks in the police department and focus should be on increasing the number of women in the police department.” Gulmina Bilal Ahmed, Executive Director Individualland Pakistan said that cultural attitudes towards women working as police officers needed to be changed.