First female Bomb Disposal Unit member of KP Police

[CHACHA"G"]

@Zibago @The Sandman @Moonlight @Hell hound @CHACHA"G"

Thanks for Tag bro.
Salute to this brave Lady , She shows the commitment of Pakistanis against WOT . Really a proud moment.

 

[Windjammer]

NOWSHERA: Decked out in her hefty gear, Rafia Qaseem Baig is carrying more than just a bombproof vest on her young, ambitious shoulders. At 29, she is on her way to becoming Pakistan’s first bomb disposal officer.

She was the only woman among 31 police officials selected for an elementary course, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), in Nowshera — a programme centred on handling and defusing explosives.

During the two-week course, the trainees will learn all about explosives and the mechanism behind defusing them.

“I am extremely happy to be part of the training,” she told DawnNews, adding that her eyes were on a long-term goal — to serve the country by saving precious lives.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) has defused over 6,000 bombs since 2009. The bomb disposal officers have an extremely tricky job on their hands. A minor error can be fatal.

Zahid, a bomb disposal officer, recalled a nightmarish experience of Oct 25: “As I was defusing a bomb by placing a stick close to it, someone from the crowd pressed the button to trigger the explosives.” Luckily, Zahid escaped unhurt.

A constable of KP police, Rafia has not one, but two Masters degrees — in economics and international relations. Currently, she is enrolled in a Bachelors of Law programme.

“There are plenty of jobs out there, but this one requires a special kind of courage,” she said, stressing that her faith in Allah is central to her career choice.

“Women are playing a role in every field, including air force, army, police and administration. Then why not in the Bomb Disposal Unit,” she wondered. But she is realistic enough to admit that “it’s a challenging job”.

Embedded in Rafia’s pursuit to be a BDU officer is a message to militants.

“I am not only representing women or the police force. I am representing the Pakistani nation,” she proudly said. Rafia is happy to have opened up a new door for Pakistani women to serve the country.

“I never imagined that I was going to end up making history on such a scale,” she said.

Filled with pride, SP Niaz, the principal of the school, feels that Rafia’s presence at the academy is going to encourage the police force to perform to the best of its abilities.

“Defusing a bomb is not a difficult job, but it needs courage,” he said.

“We are looking next at getting a whole batch of women trainees at the bomb disposal academy,” added the SP.

Rafia, too, gave out a message to her female colleagues: “Come and be a part of the Bomb Disposal Unit.”

Rafia’s instructor, inspector Shafiq, has only positive things to say about his first female student. “She is talented, bold and hard-working,” he remarked, adding that her ability to learn new skills was sharp and her passion for the job commendable.

Rafia was inducted into the police force seven years ago as a constable — a time when terrorism was at its peak in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The people in KP and the tribal areas often find themselves caught in the crossfire between militants and the security forces. Bombs targeting civilians have been a regular feature in this conflict.

Bomb disposal units have played a vital role in nullifying terror attacks in the province. On Sept 23, a three-kilogram bomb was defused at Peshawar’s crowded Bacha Khan square.

 

[Lahorie]

A constable of KP police, Rafia has not one, but two Masters degrees — in economics and international relations. Currently, she is enrolled in a Bachelors of Law programme.

“There are plenty of jobs out there, but this one requires a special kind of courage,” she said, stressing that her faith in Allah is central to her career choice.

Possessing 2 Master Degrees & Enrolled in LLB, itself, is NO small achievement; specially in the region where even moderately educated families don't allow females to go beyond Matriculation. Adding that to passion & courage to be a BDU Officer commands awesome respect. This is nothing short of a history being written here.

Feeling Proud !!!

 

[haviZsultan]

Possessing 2 Master Degrees & Enrolled in LLB, itself, is NO small achievement; specially in the region where even moderately educated families don't allow females to go beyond Matriculation. Adding that to passion & courage to be a BDU Officer commands awesome respect. This is nothing short of a history being written here.

Feeling Proud !!!

It depends on what you call moderately educated families, friend. If they are families earning more than 50,000 most such families then there is no such problem there. In our family there is no problem of any difference in educating females. The real problem is in poor households where the concept of female education hasn't penetrated. They give education to their sons and ignore their daughters.

Of course I feel this is the general trend. I have come across some drivers in the UAE who are also educating their female children. There may be vast differences among different locations in Pakistan too. Some areas like Musa Khel and Kohistan have no tradition of education. Rural areas have more taboos when it comes to female education. There are a number of factors that play a role here.

 

[EAK]

MashAllah .. KP is moving fast.. Real achievement's .. equal rights..Kudos

 

[Lahorie]

It depends on what you call moderately educated families, friend. If they are families earning more than 50,000 most such families then there is no such problem there. In our family there is no problem of any difference in educating females. The real problem is in poor households where the concept of female education hasn't penetrated. They give education to their sons and ignore their daughters.

Of course I feel this is the general trend. I have come across some drivers in the UAE who are also educating their female children. There may be vast differences among different locations in Pakistan too. Some areas like Musa Khel and Kohistan have no tradition of education. Rural areas have more taboos when it comes to female education. There are a number of factors that play a role here.

I wholeheartedly agree with your point of view. All those families which have , somehow, broken the local tradition of ignoring the female education do equally invest in educating their children irrespective of gender. These families or some of their family members have moved to developed location, i.e. to major cities of Pakistan or to abroad like UAE where they realize that educating daughters is as important as educating sons. I have some friends in Lahore whose parents, who originally belonged to remote villages in KPK, educated their both sons and daughters at the cost of family ties.

 

[Samee Ulhaq]

courageous

 

[Asad-Ali]

Hamari neighbour hain bai naam to ho ga hee

 

[GDP Adil Khan Niazi]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1857189541188311

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