Faisalabad police officers are prohibited from wearing niqabs, burqas or clothing while on duty.
The new directive was issued by the Superintendent of Police as part of the set of uniform standard operating procedures (SOP) for women police officers.
The order states that female officers must have their faces visible at all times while on duty. Policewomen cannot wear a burqa or hide their identity while on duty.
SSP (Operations) Hasan Javed explained that facial recognition is important for identification and prevention of threats. “If the face is covered, there is no identity, terrorists can hide in clothes for example. So it is important that female officers are easily identified,” he said.
Station House Officer (SHO) Madiha Irshad confirmed the receipt of this order and assured that they will be implemented immediately.
The directive was justified from a safety perspective, and officials were concerned that face coverings posed a safety risk. The visibility of the female officer’s face is considered necessary to maintain safety and ensure that the officer is always properly identified.
