RAWALPINDI: Punjab police’s first woman bomb disposal expert made her first demonstration of defusing an improvised explosive device (IED), which contained two kilogrammes of explosives, at the Police College Sihala on Wednesday.

Athia Batool started her training as a bomb disposal expert three weeks ago and made her first practical demonstration of defusing an explosive before Superintendent of Police Amir Khalil Syed of the Sihala police.

Other police officers and a 72-member team of the Islamabad Capital Territory’s Counter Terrorism Force (CTF) also witnessed the demonstration.

She wore a bomb proof kit and was equipped with other gadgets. Ms Batool also received a cash prize of Rs20,000 from SP Khalil.

Four of CTF’s women officers also attended a three-day lecture on IEDs, Counter-IEDs and Post Blast Investigation which started on Monday and concluded on Wednesday.

Athia Batool, 27 is a constable of the Rawalpindi police and was the first woman in the Punjab police to start training as a bomb disposal expert three weeks ago.

She was trained in defusing IEDs by head constable Waqar Hussain, a senior instructor of the Rawalpindi police who was one of the four police officials trained by US experts in 2009.

Prior to her recent appointment, Ms Batool had been associated with Pakistan’s first women police station, established in Rawalpindi in 1994.

She decided to get training in disposing bombs when it was revealed that the police are facing problems in searching women.

She joined the police in 2014 as a constable after completing her BCom degree and then served as a moharrar at the front desk. She continued with her studies as well and is currently getting an MBA from Arid University.

Rafia Qaseem Baig from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan’s first woman bomb disposal officer, encouraged Ms Batool to get trained in this field. Athia said she was inspired when she saw videos of Ms Baig working.

She said it is unfortunate that none of the bomb disposal experts get an allowance for the risks they take.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2018