PESHAWAR: Saima Sharif has become the first female police officer from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to be selected for the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan.
Hailing from Peshawar, Saima Sharif decided to join the police force in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after she lost her brother, who was a police constable in a militant attack back in 2012.
Since then, the 29-year-old, who is currently an elite commando and assistant sub-inspector, has held several positions in Peshawar, working as an investigator and a victim support officer.
However, in October, Sharif became the first female police officer from the province to be selected for a job in Sudan as part of a UN peacekeeping mission.
“I’ll spend one year in Sudan to contribute to the UN-mandated peacebuilding mission,” Sharif said. “The atmosphere here in Darfur [Sudan] is tough but I enjoy dealing with new challenges.” Sharif is deployed in Khor Abeche in South Darfur as a patrolling officer where she works particularly with women in the area to solve their problems and ensure their rights are protected.
“I plan to bring back what I’m learning here and replicate it in my home station in Peshawar,” the police officer said. “I’ll teach female police officials in KP how to deal with a female victim and how to ensure her rights… how to investigate cases of violence against a woman.”
“I want an enhanced female quota in the police department,” Sharif said. “I encourage other females to join the police without any hesitation because in many cases, female police personnel can work better,” she added.
