New Delhi: When Pakistani additional superintendent of police Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi waded through an angry mob outside a Lahore shop to rescue a woman, she was “only doing her job”. As the men called for the woman’s death because she was wearing a dress with Arabic words on it, Naqvi reasoned with them firmly and was able to calm everyone down. She’s been a police officer for only four years.
Naqvi has become a national hero overnight. She has been nominated for Pakistan’s highest gallantry award, Quaid-e-Azam Police Medal by the Punjab police. Praise and accolades are pouring in from political leaders, top cops, and celebrities. Punjab’s first woman CM and PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz Sharif also applauded her for defending the woman.
“ASP Shehr Bano displayed exemplary bravery, wisdom, and a sense of duty. If Shehrbano hadn’t arrived in time, there was a risk of an unfortunate incident,” wrote Sharif on X.
But Naqvi doesn’t see what the fuss is all about.
“We, as a force, were just glad that we could bring her [the woman] back safely and were able to take timely action,” she told ThePrint. “At that point, I was just thinking about the woman’s safety, nothing else.”
Call of duty
Naqvi is well-known in Punjab for her activism. In the past, she has helped found Punjab police organisations such as the Tahaffuz (Protection) Centre and Data Darbar for safeguarding vulnerable children and women. She also spearheaded a drive to establish daycare centers in police stations.
On 24 February, Naqvi got a call from a trader telling her that a woman was in danger and a mob had cornered her. When she rushed to the shop in Lahore’s Ichra Bazar, she addressed the mob, convincing them that no blasphemous act had been committed by the woman. She urged the men to trust the police, walked into the shop, and calmly brought the woman out. Her bravery is on full display in several videos that are now viral on social media.
Syed Asad Raza, the Deputy Inspector General in Karachi told ThePrint that “her grit and determination to attend to her call of duty in the face of odds is brave.” “She is competent, courageous and a brave police officer. Her act is rightly being lauded everywhere in Pakistan and her act has been recommended for QPM”, he said.
Naqvi is puzzled by the attention she’s getting.
“I just attended to my call of duty and am glad that I was able to reach there on time. God has been kind,” she said. Her actions have shed light on the importance and need for more women in the police force.
“We need more women in power,” wrote Pakistani actor Sajal Aly on Instagram.
Women constitute less than two per cent of Pakistan’s total police force, a stark imbalance that significantly affects gender equality in the country. This not only diminishes women’s willingness to report crimes but also restricts their access to justice, a 2023 report by UN Pakistan had highlighted.
But Naqvi dismissed these claims. Women, she said, have always occupied key positions in the police force.
“The CM of Punjab is a woman. Women are present in key positions in the police force too. We have constables and ASPs. In Lahore, we are very much a part and parcel of the institution,” she said.
Also read: Pakistani mob attacks woman for blasphemy. But it couldn’t tell calligraphy from Quran text
Love for animals
Naqvi was earlier commended for her role in banning the euthanasia of police dogs. She also played a pivotal role in establishing a Police Animal Rescue Centre or PARC–the first in Pakistan.
Previously, sniffer dogs were euthanised after eight years of service across Pakistan. Now, the Punjab police honours their service by retiring them with dignity.
“I have always been passionate about animals. I took the initiative for stopping the euthanasia for dogs so that after their retirement they can live their lives in peace and be adopted by loving families,” she says.
Naqvi guards her privacy but she revealed that when she’s not in police uniform she likes to write and read. Arundhati Roy and Virginia Woolf are among her favourite authors.
“I read a lot of Rabindranath Tagore and Premchand. I like reading the columns by Ardeshir Cowasjee and the poetry of Nasir Kazmi.”