KARACHI: It began like any other day.
After ensuring that her infant son was taken care of, 31-year-old Suhai Aziz Talpur set off to work, watching the clock in intervals to ensure that she was on time to start her 9 am shift as the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) at the headquarters of Pakistan’s Sindh province.
Little did she know that the morning of November 23 would be different. That, instead of dacoits and petty thieves, she would be dealing with armed terrorists who had stormed the Chinese consulate in Karachi, threatening the lives of several of her countrymen and foreigners working there.
The hour-long shootout resulted in the deaths of two Pakistani civilians, two police officers and ended only after the three assailants were killed.
The toll could have been higher, had it not been for the timely intervention and quick thinking on part of Talpur and her team. “I believe that it’s the response time that matters. Had we been late, the situation would not have been favorable for us,” Talpur told Arab News in an exclusive interview.
While the attack was extremely testing, none of it was unfamiliar territory for Talpur. She had previously gunned down a notorious dacoit in one of several encounters led by her, after joining the police services in 2013. Despite the experience, however, Talpur says the events of that Friday morning will forever be etched in her memory. “When I reached the consulate, I could hear the sounds of the hand grenades, the blasts, and the firing. I got my force deployed and called for armored vehicles, and ambulances. Meanwhile, the investigation [teams] reached and they took their position from a house in front of the Chinese consulate. It’s our commitment to our job that worked,” she said.
Denying reports that she was not wearing a bullet-proof jacket at the time, Talpur said that it’s at moments like these that one is “more concerned about the safety of other people” and tends to forget about one’s own security.
“If we get scared, then what about other people? We are their bodyguards… so it’s a huge responsibility to protect them. All the law enforcement agencies serving in this country – I believe – are not working for the salary only. It’s the sentimental attachment with this country, the quantum of responsibility that we feel toward this public,” she said, adding that the policemen who lost their lives in the attack didn’t do it for money and that they were the actual heroes.
Two police constables particularly stand out for Talpur who lauds their prompt action to engage the terrorists. “They engaged the terrorists for a good 10 to 15 minutes till the forces arrived. PC Amir had multiple bullets in his body which shows he was continuously fighting with the terrorists,” she said.
Talpur says she visited the family of police constable Amir who is survived by his wife and their two children — a 40-days-old son and a two-year-old daughter.
“They will not remember their father’s face when they grow up and his wife is just 19 years old, so that’s the actual sacrifice, that’s the ultimate sacrifice,” she said.
With several across the country and the world appreciating her for her bravery, Talpur said the real satisfaction was in knowing that she could save the lives of the consulate staff. “I entered the consulate and there was a little compound where four to five ladies were hiding inside. One of them, who was Chinese, came and hugged me. I told her that “you’re in safe hands, don’t worry” and the tears trickled down her face from relief and happiness. That was the proudest moment for me,” she said.
For her efforts, she has been nominated for the Quaid-e-Azam police award which recognizes outstanding achievements in the field. However, she says, it would be unfair not to mention the help and cooperation extended by the residents of the neighborhood where the consulate is located, particularly, the “brave caller” who made 15 calls to the police emergency hotline to report the incident.
“The security guards serving inside the consulate acted very bravely, too, and one of the security guards was in constant touch with me on phone. He told me that we are secure and all Chinese are secure. They locked the doors from inside. The terrorists had IED, with which they wanted to blow up the doors but before they could succeed, the police reached,” she said, recalling the timeline of events.
Hailing from Tando Muhammad Khan, a small town in interior Sindh, Talpur got her higher education from Hyderabad before she decided to write the Central Superior Services (CSS) examination in 2012.
She said she chose the police services as a preferred group and was “fortunate to be selected”. “My father always wanted me to be a doctor. So when I told him that I don’t want to be a doctor he said become whatever you want to but, when you do something, do it perfectly,” she said.
The advice seems to have paid off several years later with Talpur successfully thwarting the attack. “My father was more than happy when he came to know about the success against terrorists. When he met me he told that these are the genes of your grandfather who was a very brave man and that I have inherited it from him,” she said.
And while she says she was fortunate enough to be raised in a progressive household, Pakistan’s society, in general, is still in a transitional phase. “They [the men] didn’t get to see many women commanding in the field so they are not ready to accept but our society is in the phase of some kind of evolution. And now there are so many women [in different fields]. I served in Hyderabad and there was acceptability,” she said.
Talpur recalls a time when a family told her that they wanted their daughter to grow up to be like her – something which gave her immense happiness and motivation to surge ahead. “There is acceptability but there is a little section of the society, the dark-minded people who are present everywhere and not only in Pakistan,” she said.
Does the gender bias translate into her professional life too? Talpur answers in the negative. “My male colleagues were more than happy, especially my senior officers who appreciated me. The SSPs I have worked with have always allowed me to take my own decisions and that’s the reason that I have become an independent commander,” she said.
Adding that her journey thus far has instilled a confidence in her to encourage more women to join the police services, she said: “In the coming days, Pakistan will see more Suhai Aziz in the police force. I will request my senior officers to recommend more female officers for the civilized, humanized and soft image of the police force in Pakistan.”
She added that the Karachi police chief has decided to post more women as SHOs in several police stations across the city, reasoning that the move is necessary to deter bullying and to project a softer image of the police force, something which she said is the need of the hour considering the many social evils faced by Pakistan.
“We have seen father raping daughters; we have seen a dacoit setting the entire dowry of a girl on fire before her wedding. We meet so many culprits on a daily basis. Our job is to suspect… that way we are very inquisitive. People don’t like to see this. But with more girls in this profession it will soften the image,” she said, concluding her interview with a strong message for the girls in Pakistan and elsewhere.
“Gender doesn’t define who we are. It’s our temperament, dedication, wisdom, intelligence, and our competence in the long run that really matters. Work hard as all societal hurdles can be overcome. No hurdle is greater than one’s own willpower and commitment,” she said.
