When Asmat Ara joined Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KPK) police force, in northwestern Pakistan two decades ago, her career prospects were bleak.
“There was no concept of progress; there was no light at the end of the tunnel. All the time, I just thought that I want to leave the police,” she says as she cruises along Peshawar’s busy ring road, blue lights flashing on her police patrol car.
Back then, the force’s few female officers faced many difficulties. From getting access to training, to being provided with proper accommodation, they had to fight to be taken seriously and be treated as equals.

"We decided to struggle and push forward,” says Asmat. “We slowly started working, got our training, and told them we have the capability to do the job.”
Today, she has reached the rank of deputy superintendent in Peshawar’s traffic police and says there has been a significant change in attitudes towards female officers. Part of her work now involves training other officers, both male and female, in investigative skills.
But attitudes on the street have taken longer to shift. The sight of a female officer behind the wheel of a police car still attracts curious stares.
Full article with video
The Policewoman of Peshawar
“There was no concept of progress; there was no light at the end of the tunnel. All the time, I just thought that I want to leave the police,” she says as she cruises along Peshawar’s busy ring road, blue lights flashing on her police patrol car.
Back then, the force’s few female officers faced many difficulties. From getting access to training, to being provided with proper accommodation, they had to fight to be taken seriously and be treated as equals.

"We decided to struggle and push forward,” says Asmat. “We slowly started working, got our training, and told them we have the capability to do the job.”
Today, she has reached the rank of deputy superintendent in Peshawar’s traffic police and says there has been a significant change in attitudes towards female officers. Part of her work now involves training other officers, both male and female, in investigative skills.
But attitudes on the street have taken longer to shift. The sight of a female officer behind the wheel of a police car still attracts curious stares.
Full article with video
The Policewoman of Peshawar

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