Latest news with #womeninleadership
Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
Islamabad's first woman to lead men's police station takes on drug lords, land mafia
ISLAMABAD: Tucked amid the dust and bustle of Islamabad's fringes, the suburb of Phulgran has long been a magnet for trouble: drug dens, land-grabbing, and a loose grip on law and order. But now, it has something new: a phenomenon. In her blue uniform and a modest headscarf, Misbah Shahbaz quietly took charge in 2025 as Station House Officer (SHO) of Phulgran, Islamabad's first-ever female SHO at a general, or men's, police station. 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. 'It's a historic decision, and I feel very proud,' Shahbaz told Arab News as she walked through a briefing with her team. Phulgran sits at the nexus of rural sprawl and urban ambition, where narcotics and land mafias thrive. Shahbaz's three-fold roadmap is simple: Clean up the drug trade, target land-grab networks, and raise the ethical bar in policing. Methodical yet unspoken in her stride, she is already tackling the tough territory: 'Drug trafficking is a major concern. I've already developed strategies … and God willing, you'll soon see the results.' Her academic résumé reads like an MBA case study: she holds a Master's and an MBA. But she insisted: 'I've always been drawn to the uniform … This was never about the degree, it was about a passion to serve.' Back in 2012, Shahbaz took one of the 87 Assistant Sub-Inspector slots based strictly on merit. And that was just the beginning of a journey in which she says her male colleagues largely treated her as an equal. 'I was lucky to have excellent mentors, all-male officers who treated me no differently,' she said. 'They taught me the finer points of investigation, from identifying subtle clues to interviewing techniques.' Today, when Shahbaz rolls through Phulgran in her official vehicle, residents pause. Men nod, women whisper encouragement and in the sidewalks, young girls see her, and absorb a message: you, too, can wear the badge. 'She's not less than any man,' a constable under her command said. 'In fact, she leads better.' TURNING TIDE? Let's zoom out: Pakistan's police force is staggeringly male. According to the National Police Bureau (NPB) and UN Women Pakistan as of 2023, only about 3.2 % of officers are women, just 15,509 women out of 489,645 total. And while Islamabad fares slightly better, with around 5% of women, most provinces hover at 1–4%. A mandatory 10 % quota exists but the officers actually recruited, trained, and retained are far fewer. In some provinces, it's under 1%. So, Shahbaz's promotion is more than symbolic. She's a breakthrough not just for Islamabad but for an entire force held back by gender disparity. With so few female officers, women are often reluctant to report crimes, especially those involving domestic or gender-based issues. Experts also say the absence of women in decision-making and field leadership reduces community trust in law enforcement. Female officers like Shahbaz could change that balance. And her rise isn't just a personal triumph. It's the latest clue in the slow shift in a system where less than 1 in 30 cops is a woman. As the police officer said: 'Islamabad Police already have a reputation for professionalism but I want to raise the bar so that every citizen feels heard and respected.'
Irish Times
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Kirsty Coventry vows to stay humble as the first female president of the IOC
Kirsty Coventry has promised to not let power go to her head when she becomes the first woman president of the International Olympic Committee next week. Her predecessor, Thomas Bach, would always stay in a suite paid for by the IOC at the five-star Lausanne Palace hotel, costing over €2,000 a night, whenever he was in the city. However, the Zimbabwean confirmed her family would not be following suit. 'We won't be staying in the Palace,' she said. 'I really want my kids to grow up doing the same thing that I did, making beds and doing our chores and being kids.' Coventry, who won seven Olympic medals during her swimming career, said the significance of being the first woman IOC president had hit her only when she started reading the messages of support from other women. Asked for more details, Coventry said: 'I think I will start crying, so might have to do that another time. But the sentiments were really just around: 'Thank you;' 'You're such an inspiration;' 'This is so incredible.' READ MORE 'I had a coworker of mine come up to me. His mom had called him and said: 'Never in my lifetime did I ever think I'd get to see a woman leading the movement that you're working for,' and that was really special. There's been a lot of moments like that. Those are things I will hold on to in the future, when the road gets bumpy.' Coventry also made it clear she wanted IOC members to feel free to speak their minds and had invited them to stay two extra nights in Lausanne next week to have a 'pause and reflect workshop' to hear their ideas. 'The way I like to lead is with collaboration,' she said. 'I like people to say: 'Yes, I had a say and this was the direction that we went.' That way you get a really authentic buy-in.' The 41-year-old made it clear she campaigned for the IOC job to change people's lives for the better and not for the prestige involved. 'After I was elected my husband started giggling at the breakfast table and he looked at me and he goes: 'Do you realise you're the most powerful person in sport?'' she said. 'And I was like: 'What are you talking about?' For me, it's not about the title. It wasn't about power. Sometimes those things get in the way and they make you focus on maybe the wrong things. It's just not who I am. 'But I'm very proud we have elected our first female president. And I'm going to do my best to ensure that it's a successful journey.' – Guardian
The Guardian
18 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Kirsty Coventry vows to stay humble as the first female president of the IOC
Kirsty Coventry has promised to not let power go to her head when she becomes the first female president of the International Olympic Committee next week. Her predecessor, Thomas Bach, would always stay in a suite paid for by the IOC at the five-star Lausanne Palace hotel, costing about £2,000 a night, whenever he was in the city. However, the Zimbabwean confirmed her family would not be following suit. 'We won't be staying in the Palace,' she said. 'I really want my kids to grow up doing the same thing that I did, making beds and doing our chores and being kids.' Coventry, who won seven Olympic medals during her swimming career, said the significance of being the first female IOC president had hit her only when she started reading the messages of support from other women. Asked for more details, Coventry said: 'I think I will start crying, so might have to do that another time. But the sentiments were really just around: 'Thank you;' 'You're such an inspiration;' 'This is so incredible.' 'I had a co-worker of mine come up to me. His mom had called him and said: 'Never in my lifetime did I ever think I'd get to see a woman leading the movement that you're working for,' and that was really special. There's been a lot of moments like that. Those are things I will hold on to in the future, when the road gets bumpy.' Coventry also made it clear she wanted IOC members to feel free to speak their minds and had invited them to stay two extra nights in Lausanne next week to have a 'pause and reflect workshop' to hear their ideas. 'The way I like to lead is with collaboration,' she said. 'I like people to say: 'Yes, I had a say and this was the direction that we went.' That way you get a really authentic buy-in.' The 41-year-old made it clear she campaigned for the IOC job to change people's lives for the better and not for the prestige involved. 'After I was elected my husband started giggling at the breakfast table and he looked at me and he goes: 'Do you realise you're the most powerful person in sport?'' she said. 'And I was like: 'What are you talking about?' For me, it's not about the title. It wasn't about power. Sometimes those things get in the way and they make you focus on maybe the wrong things. It's just not who I am. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion 'But I'm very proud we have elected our first female president. And I'm going to do my best to ensure that it's a successful journey.'
Bloomberg
21 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Melinda French Gates Turns the Page
Emily Chang meets Melinda French Gates in Seattle to discuss how she's navigating her next chapter as a philanthropic powerhouse. (Source: Bloomberg)
CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
#TheMoment a St. John's fire station got its first all-female crew
Capt. Gina Burke recounts the moment a team of all-female firefighters worked a shift together for the first time, making history for the St. John's Regional Fire Department.
