PESHAWAR: In the era where stereotypes are ever present and people are labelled like beverage cans, it is quite rare to find a person breaking them all in the pursuit of one’s dreams. It is even better when it is a woman. Not any woman but a woman from one of the most orthodox countries, Pakistan, has gone on to create as a big impact as a bomb blast – by doing the exact opposite, stopping the blasts.
Rafia Qaseem Baig, a 29-year-old woman from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has become the first Pakistani woman to earn her place in the Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) in this dangerous red zone province of Peshawar. Rafia hails from a highly educated family and received her Master’s degree in International Relations. She then completed another Master’s degree in Economics and worked at International Rescue Committee where she saw her passion for law booming. Now she is studying for securing an LLB degree too. With so many laurels, Rafia was approached by many a companies to utilise her potential, but she chose to serve her country. She enrolled into the police force at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a constable.
7 years hence, she is now ready to show people that barriers exist only in our minds– by joining the BDU! After an intensive 15 day training, which will focus on giving information on types of bombs, their identification and how to diffuse them, along with 31 other male members at Nowshera’s School of Explosive Handling, Rafia will be all set to jump into the fire.
Rafia was also the only female member of an investigation team that rescued Lady Reading Hospital physician, Dr. Intikhab Alam, 48 hours after his abduction in 2010. She says that her interest in the profession grew because of a blast near a sessions court seven years ago that she witnessed. For her police force is not just a profession, it is a passion and inspiration for those who have a spirit of devotion for the country.
Such kind of stories of valour and courage make for the best motivational stories, no doubt. In a world where we see women still battling for their place, it sure does reinforce the faith that no ambition is unlikely.
