Suhai Aziz Talpur (; born 1988) is a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

officer, serving as Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) since 2013, the third Sindhi woman to serve in the police force of the country. Talpur was praised for her leadership role in foiling the November 2018 terrorist attack against the Chinese consulate in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

Early life

Suhai Aziz Talpur was born in 1988 in the Bhai Khan Talpur village of the

Tando Muhammad Khan District Tando Muhammad Khan District (, , ) is a district located in the Sindh province of Pakistan. Tando Muhammad Khan District spans an area of approximately 1,423 square kilometres. It shares its northern boundary with Hyderabad District and its nort ...

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

, Pakistan. Her father is Aziz Talpur, a

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

and writer.

Education

Talpur graduated from the Fauji Foundation Higher Secondary School, and then joined the Bahria Foundation College, in

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

. She obtained her

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from the Zubaida Girls College and her

Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

from the

University of Sindh The University of Sindh (; ; informally known as Sindh University) is a public research university in Pakistan located in the city of Jamshoro in the Sindh province. It is one of the oldest universities in Pakistan and was certified by ISO in 2 ...

Jamshoro Jamshoro (, ) is a city and the capital of Jamshoro District, in Sindh, Pakistan. It is on the right bank of the Indus River, approximately northwest of Hyderabad and northeast of the provincial capital of Sindh, Karachi. This city is popula ...

. She undertook certificate courses in Chartered Accountancy at the Al-Hamd Academy, Hyderabad, and the Skans School of Accountancy. When her parents enrolled her at school, most of their relatives started "taunting" the family. They eventually left the village and moved to a nearby town.

Career

Talpur is the first female from the Lowland plateau of Sindh to reach the rank of ASP in the Pakistan Police Services. On 13 August 2013, an attack with explosives, claimed by a banned nationalist outfit, took place at Hyder Chowk Hyderabad, killing one person. Thirty-five locations within the city were declared "sensitive" and some seventy-five checking points were set up, manned by the police, including police commandos, and

Pakistan Rangers The Pakistan Rangers () are a pair of paramilitary federal law enforcement corps' in Pakistan. The two corps are the Punjab Rangers (operating in Punjab province with headquarters in Lahore) and the Sindh Rangers (operating in Sindh province w ...

paramilitaries, while the police intensified patrols in all Hyderabad. ASP Suhai Talpur was appointed in charge of Police Headquarters and related security arrangements, until the end of

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

celebrations. In 2017, she was placed in charge of the investigation at Sindh Varsity Common after allegations of

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment based on the sex or gender of a victim. It can involve offensive sexist or sexual behavior, verbal or physical actions, up to bribery, coercion, and assault. Harassment may be explicit or implicit, wit ...

were submitted by girl students against teaching staff. In 2018, she announced police raids in areas of

against organized gangs involved in

theft Theft (, cognate to ) is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shor ...

and drug trade, and she stated that there would be "no leniency" for criminals in "a city of education."

2018 Karachi Chinese consulate attack

On 23 November 2018, three armed separatists who oppose Chinese investment in Pakistan killed two Pakistani policemen guarding the consulate of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The attackers then tried to enter the building using

explosives An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An exp ...

Talpur, as senior superintendent of the Karachi Police, led police units to the scene, as well as the bomb disposal squad and firemen. She was the first senior officer to reach the scene. She organized and led the two-hour battle that followed, in which all three attackers were killed. According to

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

, her actions during the assault on the diplomatic mission have been praised "for saving countless lives." A photograph of her carrying a pistol and surrounded by commandos has attracted much attention on social media in Pakistan and China. She has also been nominated for Pakistan's

Tamgha-e-Quaid-e-Azam Tamgha-e-Quaid-e-Azam ''(lit. Medal of the Great Leader)'', is a civil award conferred by the Government of Pakistan on those who have attained academic distinction in the fields of science, art, literature, or distinction in the fields of sports an ...

medal, the first woman to receive this nomination.

Wider significance

Suhai Talpur's entrance in the Pakistani police force and subsequent rise in its hierarchy are considered as important events in a culture where woman police officers are rare. Before her, only two women from Sindh had been accepted in the police.

References