Shazia Ishaq poses for a photograph at her native village in Chitra. Twitter photo

Tariq Butt, Correspondent

Shazia Ishaq, 25, belonging to a remote village of Upper Chitral district, Pakistan, has become the first woman police officer in Malakand division after she passed the competitive examination of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC).

Daughter of a retired junior commissioned officer of the Pakistan army, Shazia Ishaq had earned a BS degree in political science from Islamia College University Peshawar in 2018.

She said the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) was her first choice in the competitive examination as she yearned to be a police officer from her childhood.

Explaining the reason for her choice, she said in the male-dominated society a woman police officer could be a ‘ray of hope’ for women in distress.

Shazia Ishaq said the presence of women police officers in and around the police stations would help the women feel secure. “It was a major ambition in my life to help the women in distress.”

Shazia Ishaq.
She said that my mother became emotional when I told her about my success in the CSS exam. Shazia said another aim of her choice of joining the police service was to raise the spirits of women so they could be able to take hard jobs beyond their traditional roles and prove their mettle.

Regarding the alarming rise in suicide cases involving women in Chitral, she said it were the social prejudices, which frustrated the women to take such extreme steps. She admired her parents for giving her support to a level, which filled her with self-confidence and respect for humanity.

About her preparations for the examinations, Shazia Ishaq said she worked consistently for one year and passed it in her first attempt. “Hard work with consistency is the basic condition to achieving any target.”