Pakistan’s Manisha Ropeta attracted the attention of the netizens world over for breaking all societal constraints and becoming an inspiration for all women in the country. Ropeta is the first woman from the minority Hindu community to become the Deputy Superintendent of Police in the Sindh region. Her years of hard work and dedication have paid off as she took this authoritative position in the country.
Talking about this big achievement at the age of 26, Ropeta says that she joined the forces because she wanted to do whatever she could to protect women in the patriarchal society of Pakistan. She says the women in the country are oppressed and need to be supported. From an early age, women are told what they can and cannot do and if they wanted careers they could only become doctors or teachers. “I have always been very inspired and attracted to the police work,” she says.
Ropeta comes from a middle-class family from Jacobabad in interior Sindh province. Having failed to get admission for MBBS by just one mark, she had to hide her wish to join the forces from her family. She told her parents that she wanted a degree in physical therapy, but she was preparing for the Sindh Public Services Commission examinations on the side. She ranked 16th among 468 candidates and was made the DSP in December 2021.
Furthermore, Ropeta speaks about her small town where girls often did not pursue higher education. She says she wanted to show people that girls can do anything and must be encouraged to move ahead in their chosen professions. She hopes her achievements inspire other women and show society that women too can grow in professions that are currently male-dominated.
