ISLAMABAD: Sub-Inspector Misbah Shehbaz has been appointed the Station House Officer (SHO) at Phulgran Police Station, becoming the first woman to head a general (men’s) police station in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.

The appointment was announced in an official press statement issued by the Foreign Media Cell of Islamabad Police on Thursday. 

According to the statement, the appointment was made through formal orders issued by Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Muhammad Jawad Tariq, who said the move was intended to “end gender discrimination within the Islamabad Police.”

“This initiative will continue and more female officers will be given the opportunity to lead police stations,” Tariq was quoted as saying in the press release.

The post of SHO is one of the most visible and operationally significant leadership roles in Pakistan’s police hierarchy, responsible for crime investigation, public safety, and station-level administration. Until now, female SHOs in Islamabad had only led women police stations.

By assigning a female officer to a mixed or general police station, Islamabad Police is signalling its intent to challenge long-standing norms. Observers say the move also aligns with broader reforms encouraged by both domestic policymakers and international partners such as the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which have pushed for gender-sensitive policing frameworks in Pakistan.

While Shehbaz’s appointment is a welcome development, it also highlights the structural barriers that female officers continue to face in entering Pakistan’s law enforcement sector.

According to the National Police Bureau (NPB) and UN Women Pakistan, as of 2023, women made up only 3.2% of Pakistan’s total police force — that is 15,509 female officers out of 489,645 nationwide.

In Islamabad, female representation was slightly higher at 5.04%, based on official NPB data published in 2023. Between 2019 and 2023, 11,398 women joined various police organizations in Pakistan, but the vast majority were not placed in command or operational leadership roles, as per a UN Women & NPB joint assessment report from 2023.

Experts say the absence of women in decision-making and field leadership reduces institutional responsiveness to gender-based violence and community trust in law enforcement.