KARACHI: Although the country’s legislatures have in recent years adopted several laws that aim to protect women’s rights, the percentage of women in police remains below two per cent.
According to officials quoting data compiled by the National Police Bureau (NPB), there are a total of 391,364 police personnel across the country, of which only 5,731 are women.
The data shows that at 3.4pc, Gilgit-Baltistan boasts the highest percentage of policewomen when compared to the other regions and provinces. In one of the provinces the percentage of women in the police force is as low as 0.48pc.
The officials admitted that apart from cultural norms and traditions, a lack of encouragement “from within the government institutions” contributed to the low ratio of women in the force, adding that it should at least be 10pc.
