nce on Brewery Road, Quetta, a police officer asked their driver to stop at a departmental store. As they got out of the vehicle with their daughter to go into the store, an armed person attacked the van. The driver was shot in the chest. The assassin had allegedly wanted to kill the officer who had just walked into the store. The officer has recently been appointed the first female SHO of any regular police station in Balochistan’s history.

As we enter the Quetta police station, Station House Officer (SHO) Sobia Khanum sits behind her desk. On the wall behind her hangs an incumbency board with a dozen male officers’ names on it and only one female name, the present SHO.

Wearing her uniform, two metal stars on the shoulders, the day Sub-Inspector Sobia Khanum has assumed charge as SHO. She received 10 cases on her first day.

Balochistan has a strong tribal culture, and females still find it difficult to join field assignments. The province has seen much turmoil. The civil conflict has persisted. From nationalist insurgency to the TTP, Balochistan has seen many challenges. Sobia Khanum has accepted office as a challenge, knowing full well what the job entails.

A UNODC report states that female police officers constitute only around 1.5 percent of the police force in Pakistan. This number is even lower in Balochistan, where structural and cultural barriers make it difficult for women to participate in the labour force beyond their traditional role as homemakers.

“Nothing is impossible if one has the passion and courage to be different. Of course, not every individual can cope with challenges in life,” says Khanum.

After graduating in 2009, she passed the competitive exam of the Police Department. She stood first and was recruited as an assistant sub inspector (ASI). During her service, she also sat and passed the LLB and master’s in political science degrees from the University of Balochistan. “I had not informed my family about my job in the beginning because there were only a small number of females in the police force at the time,” she adds.

“Nothing is impossible if one has the passion and courage to be different. Of course, not every individual can cope with challenges in life,” says Khanum.

In 2013, she investigated a child kidnapping case. She baited the kidnapper by talking to him using a fake phone number. They set up a meeting at a local restaurant and the culprit was captured. A 9mm pistol was recovered from him. After further investigation, Khanum recovered the child and arrested the mastermind behind the abduction. The man she had met at the restaurant had purchased a snatched mobile phone. It was through his call detail record that the police found the abductors.

Recounting another important case in her career, the officer tells TNS, “Prostitution is an unfortunate reality in our country but we need to focus on protecting the rights of all women.” In 2014, she went undercover pretending to be a sex worker to recover a 14-year-old girl whom her uncle had sold and who had been brought to Quetta from the Punjab. “The girl revealed that she had been raped by more than 40 people. We took her to a Dar-ul-Amaan. All culprits were caught and prosecuted,” she says.

As a single mother of two, Sobia Khanum is aware of the challenges life presents, but she is taking those on confidently.

The Balochistan Police inspector general is supportive and wishes to provide more platforms to women. “When I received the notification of my appointment, I was quite surprised. When I arrived here, the atmosphere was tense, but all my colleagues have been very supportive,” says Khanum. “After joining, I called all personnel and assured them that we will work as a team,” she says.

In 2013, Sobia Khanum received a call from Saryab Road where a truck suspected of carrying explosives had been stopped. Amid heavy traffic, the officer reached the location on a bike. While she was looking for the truck, “Capt Razzaq Baloch asked me to move away. He was martyred trying to defuse the bomb. He was a brave officer of the bomb disposal squad,” she remembers.

Remembering the target killing attempt she survived, SHO Khanum says that her driver informed the police headquarters and then drove to the BMC, where he received treatment. “It is not easy to risk one’s life, but I aim to do my job well,” says the resilient SHO.

“I had the opportunity to worked with former DIG Hamid Shakil in many operations. We once conducted a raid where we found a man hiding under the bed and seized a huge cache of weapons from the place,” she says.

Sobia Khanum believes that the women of Balochistan are competent and capable of working in all fields. All they need is more opportunities. “I urge more women to join new fields, work for themselves and the welfare of the province and the country.”

The writer is a journalist based in Quetta