Raffia Qaseem Baig; The First Ever Lady Constable in Pakistan to Serve in the Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU)
The latest episode of Jwandai Jazbey (living spirits) featured the first ever lady constable in Pakistan serving in the BDU of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Police, Ms. Raffia Qaseem Baig.
Ms. Baig said that she always had a great passion for joining air force, army or police. She preferred to join the KP Police in 2010 despite the availability of other opportunities.
Being part of KP police, she has offered her services for the BDU, one of the riskiest units of policing. She said: “The inspiration behind joining the BDU of KP police was an incident that happened to me few years back. While I was taking a medical test as a requirement of recruitment process, a bomb went off causing many casualties and deaths. My mother got very scared. She advised me not to join the police but I told her that death is an unavoidable fact. One should believe in Allah only and offer services to bring a positive change in the society.”
She discussed her experiences about the capacity building initiatives in KP Police. She said: “I have received the best training in police training school recently inaugurated by KP Police. I was really excited to see the training of how to manage the long range machine gun, anti-person mine, anti-tank mine, hand grenade, suicide bomb jackets etc. I learnt about explosives i.e. Trinitrotoluene (TNT), detonators, prim-cord etc. I am proud as a female for participating side by side with my male colleagues in every operation we have conducted so far.”
She added that even if her physique was not so much suitable for working in BDU, she was still motivated enough to sacrifice her life for the sake of public safety. She recalled that once she visited the crime scene when a bomb went off on Warsak Road. Many people were astonished to see I didn’t have the special dress for disposing bomb. The reason is weight of the dress which is 75 kg and it is hard for a 50 Kg person to carry such a heavy dress. She deplored that these dresses are designed for males only and don’t fit her well.
She pointed out that her career in police had never stopped her from pursuing educational ambitions. She said, “I have obtained master’s degrees in International Relations and Economics. Currently, I’m also studying LLB. I wanted to take Central Superior Services (CSS) exams but unfortunately couldn’t do that due to some constraints. I am planning to appear next year if the circumstances will allow.”
Like other fields of life, police is not an easy career for women. By joining the police force, they compromise their family and social life for the sake of the safety and security of public. Ms. Baig said: “It takes an immense courage for a woman to join police because our society criticizes her for doing so. In this patriarchal society, women are either confined to homes or some specific fields of life. I always emphasize on need for female education, because an educated female is the sign of a civilized nation. If a woman is educated, she would be able to train and guide her children in an effective manner.”
A radio report that was included in the program discussed the role of women in KP police.
Four listeners shared their feedback in the show through live calls. They appreciated the efforts of Ms. Baig and praised her services for the society.
About Sabawoon
Sabawoon airs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). It is designed to highlight the local issues and promote the fundamental governance values, such as democracy, rule of law, women’s rights, and equal citizenry. The show airs Monday through Thursday every week under four themes on FM-101.5 Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan 711 KHZ from 3:20 PM to 4:00 PM. On Monday, Jarga Maraka covers current affairs and important regional issues with an input from government and other senior officials. On Tuesday, Da Simay Jaaj gives an overview of the top stories from KP and FATA regions. Jwandai Jazbey airs on Wednesday and deals with issues of relevance to, and significance for, youth, students and women. Socio-cultural affairs are discussed in Ranra on Thursday.