ISLAMABAD: Female police councils in all provinces of the country have been established in order to create a more inclusive working environment for women in the police force by training them so they are given equal opportunities like male officers.

This declaration was issued at the end of the three-day National Fellowship for Women Police Council 2022 conference in Islamabad. The conference was organised by the Parliamentary Commission for Human Rights and Police Awam Sath Sath in Bhurban.

The purpose of the three-day programme was to train members of police councils nominated by the department and to prepare the annual plan of the councils. The councils will work for the welfare and professional capacity building of female police officers, and the supply of equal resources and opportunities along with proactive efforts for the maximum induction of women in police.

Inspector General of Police Punjab Faisal Shahkar said he wished that female police officials would get promotions and their inclusion should be mandatory in policy making.

Aamir Zulfiqar of the Anti-Narcotics Force said that women had been facing drastic issues while performing their professional responsibilities in the police force. He said change would be visible in the performance of female officers once their issues are addressed. IGP Azad Jammu and Kashmir Amir Ahmed Sheikh said that it was the need of the hour to establish these councils. Furthermore, he said, women are half of the country’s population and without figuring out their issues the country would not be able to progress.

Senior PTI leader Riaz Fatyana said it is the requirement of the contemporary scenario to rethink things for effective management and persistent reliability. In the past, many initiatives were shelved.

Another speaker, Mohammad Shafique Chaudhary said that senior police officials and representatives of the civil society contributed tremendously towards the establishment of these councils. He stressed that crime rate would decrease and proper investigation report of women centric cases would be logged before the judiciary after this initiative.

Dr Adnan Rafique said that the speed of change is slow but we are going in the right direction and establishment of these police councils is the first step towards it. In addition to this, he said that recommendations will also be taken for further progress.

Senior leader of the PML-N Shaista Pervez Malik said that the impression that women are providing their services in the police department under compulsion must be dissolved. Kashmala Khan, federal ombudsman for protection against harassment, advised participants that women should not remain silent about any kind of injustice because times have changed now and women must fight for their own rights bravely.

Addressing participants of the conference, former judge of Lahore High Court Justice Nasira Javed Malik appreciated establishment of the councils and expressed hope that through these councils will help in resolving complex problems of women in the country.

Director General Legal and Justice Authority Dr Rahim Awan said that women have set examples of being great governors in the history of both Islam and the subcontinent. Our police officers should also be aware of their constitutional and legal rights which will help in empowering them, he said, adding after establishment of the councils, female citizens coming to police stations during investigation will feel safe.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2022