Twenty-five year old Shazia Ishaq, who hails from a remote village, has become the first woman police officer in Malakand division, part of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region in Pakistan.

Daughter of a retired junior commissioned officer of the Pakistan Army, Ishaq has fulfilled her dream of joining the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) by clearing theFederal Public Service Commission.

An inhabitant of a remote village of Upper Chitral district, Ishaq told Dawn that she yearned to be a police officer from her childhood.

According to her, in a male-dominated society a woman police officer could be a ‘ray of hope’ for women in distress.

Ishaq said the presence of women police officers in and around the police stations would make women feel secure.

“It was a major ambition in my life to help the women in distress,” she said.

(SAM)