LAHORE, May 21: In what appears to be a change in police culture and fulfillment of promotion rules' requirement, two women assistant superintendents of police (ASPs) of 35th Common have been appointed as supervisory divisional police officer in the Capital City District Police.

Two other women ASPs of the same common are also being posted in other provincial cities.

According to a notification issued on Saturday, Capital City Police Officer Malik Ahmad Raza Tahir appointed ASP Shaista Rehman as Sabzazar SDPO against an existing vacancy and ASP Syeda Zahida Bokhari as Sarwar Road SDPO vice DSP Muhammad Hussain.

Muhammad Hussian has been transferred and posted as Old Anarkali SDPO against an existing vacancy.

In other developments, DSP Nasir Mushtaq has been posted Chuhng SDPO against an existing vacancy and DSP Fazal-i-Hamid has been posted Shahdara SDPO vice DSP Riaz Ali Shah. Mr Shah has been posted as Shahdara SDPO.

ASP Syeda Zahida Bokhari told Dawn that she had preferred to join the field posting to serve people and extend every possible relief to the complainants. She said she was determined to work in the field and perform up to the satisfaction of police higher-ups.

She said she did not think the women police officers could not handle the male subordinates.

Sources told Dawn that all four women ASPs of 35th Common showed their interest in taking field postings. It is the first time in the Punjab police history that four women of a common have made it to the key field post.

Two other officers -- ASP Ammara Athar and ASP Nida Chattha -- are being posted in Faisalabad and Gujranwala respectively.

Currently, DSP Ruqayia Bano is serving as Women Racecourse police station SDPO.

A senior Punjab police officer told this reporter that it was compulsory for all ASPs to complete two-year field posting (one year with the Frontier Corps and one year as SDPO) before promotion to the rank of additional superintendent of police.

He said though the women ASPs had been given field postings, time would tell whether they would be able to perform up to the mark.