Women in uniform: Lahore's first female SHO in 17 years
SHO Ghazala Sharif speaks about her appointment and the challenges of women in uniform
By Aroma Shahid
In May the city’s police department appointed a female sub-inspector as a station house officer (SHO) of a local police station in Lahore’s Rang Mahal area, something nothing short of an accomplishment with the appointment coming in after 17 odd years.
Enter Ghazala Sharif.
Sharif, the first woman to have been appointed to this position in almost two decades, is one of the few officers who had to undergo training specifically for this post.
The police department conducted a refresher and training course for over a 100 inspectors and sub-inspectors including women to bring in more trained and qualified officers.
“I had no intentions of joining the police force and there was no motivation behind my decision. It happened accidentally when my sister applied for it without my knowledge,” says Sharif in an interview to Dunya News.
“I was waiting for my graduation result when I found out I had been selected to join the law enforcement agency,” she recalls.
Proud to announce that @Lahorepoliceops appointed first female SHO in #Lahore after 17 years-#womenempowerment for a stronger #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/GohqQPMC76
— Chief Minister s SRU (@smucmo) May 19, 2017
Her appointment was lauded by the Punjab government and the Chief Minister’s Strategic Reforms Unit (Law & Order).
Women are mostly reluctant to join the police force and even if they are motivated enough to take up the challenge, often they do not meet the criteria for recruitment. However, those who are capable of completing the physical training are hired immediately as the police force is aiming to make the environment more comfortable for women. Ghazala says that there is no difference between the training that male and female officers have to undergo.
While the job description and responsibility is the same, she admits that women do face certain challenges which men continue to remain ignorant about. “It is an undeniable fact that discrimination exists in these institutions,” she says.
“Even though sometimes you can’t put a finger on it, there are some things that you realise, but cannot express. You can still feel that the environment is hostile to women.”
She hopes that the appointment of more female officers will make it easier for female victims to report cases of violence against them and not feel intimidated by the presence of male officers at the police station.
Sharif’s appointment to a high rank also raises question about whether her male subordinates undermine her authority, both intentionally or unintentionally, largely because they are unaccustomed to working under a woman’s supervision.
“Most of the male colleagues and subordinates find it almost offensive to take orders from a woman and accept it reluctantly because they don’t have another choice,” shares Sharif. “However, not all male officers follow the same behavioural patterns. In fact, some are quite supportive.”
Supervising a team with such a responsibility is a challenge itself, and even more so for female officers at this position, who face problems while imposing their authority without coming across as autocratic.
Sharif says female officers survive and succeed in a male dominated institution such as these based on their attitude towards their duties and their colleagues. “You have to establish your position with confidence, but at the same time respect your subordinates,” says Sharif.
“Most male officers agree that female supervisors are more respectful as compared to their male counterparts and they appreciate that. You must be stern but polite.”
Sharif is the first woman to have been appointed to this position in almost two decades. Photo: Twitter
Sharif had a keen interest in continuing her education in Psychology but chose History because her mother insisted, “And mothers are so close to our hearts, it’s impossible to say no” she laughs.
Her position requires her to monitor any crime-related activities in the vicinity, such as trade of narcotics, carrying weapons without a license, ensuring implementation of Section-144, and often conducting search operations. In her area, Sharif believes a major problem faced by the residents is that of encroachment.
“The area Rang Mahal comes under my authority, which has a history of encroachment issues, but our aim is to also avoid any terrorism-related cases that might be a cause of that,” says Sharif. “Prevention and reduction – is our way to go about controlling illegal activities in the area and to avoid any unwanted incidents that may cause a lot more damage than anticipated.”
Apart from responsibilities at work, she is a mother herself and has to make sure her family life does not get affected due to her career.
Talking about the most memorable incident during her service without disclosing any details, she narrated an incident in which her team conducted a search operation which eventually turned into a life and death experience, something nothing novel for police officers. Yet, it is the gush of feelings that keep bringing the moment back to her.
“At the last hour, we feared that all our efforts will go in vain and the whole operation will collapse,” she recalls. “It was a do or die situation and at that moment I had completely forgotten my family and responsibilities. For me, at that moment, everything was focused on the challenge before me.”
