Pakistan: Balochistan appoints first female deputy commissioner
Her heroic efforts to rescue people during floods won praise
Islamabad: The Balochistan government has appointed Ayesha Zehri deputy commissioner of Nasirabad district, making her the first woman in the province to lead the district administration office.
The news of her appointment was praised by her colleagues, provincial departments as well as the locals. Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo congratulated and said: “The appointment of the first female officer in the province as a deputy commissioner is an expression of confidence in the abilities of the women of the province.”
He added that “Women are an integral part of our society. Empowering women and utilizing their abilities is one of the priorities of our government.”
Ayesha Zehri assumed her new responsibilities, replacing Mohammad Hussain. Recently, her heroic efforts to save the people in flood-hit regions were praised by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during his visit to the region. The prime minister said he met Assistant Commissioner Mach Ayesha Zehri and the officials and workers who were working diligently and diligently to restore highways, public infrastructure after the floods. “You all are the heroes of the nation. You made the whole nation, including me, proud” he said.
Heroic rescue during floods
During her previous post as the assistant commissioner of the Mach area of Balochistan, she was always prepared to lead from the front as the disastrous floods swept away roads and bridges, leaving hundreds of people stranded and starving.
On August 25 and 26 when the heavy rains continues to lash for 36 hours, Zehri reached the Bibi Nani area with her team and did everything possible to get food and water to some 3,000 stranded people in the flood-hit mountainous region. They averted a tragedy and loss of lives by getting food and water on time albeit with great difficulty.
She hails from the Khuzdar district of Balochistan. She was awarded two gold medals during her studies at Khuzdar Engineering University.
In 2017, she joined the provincial civil services department after taking the competitive exams. After serving as a staff officer to Commissioner Kalat, she became one of the first three women in the province to be appointed to the post of assistant commissioner.
During her stint as assistant commissioner of the Chagai district in the border region, Zehri earned the reputation of being a bold and fearless leader as she led several raids against criminals and drug smugglers in the district and arrested a number of suspects.
She says her team did not have enough resources for the rescue operation but had the determination to save people and “Allah gave us success”. It took them about 12 hours to rescue the people. “The entire system has collapsed due to continuous rains on August 25. Roads were washed away, bridges collapsed, phone lines and mobile phone networks were not working,” she says.
Ayesha Zehri, her team and young volunteers conducted a continuous 12-hour rescue operation to rescue stranded people. They immediately set up 11 shelter homes in government schools and got people food and milk for the little children. These people had not eaten anything in two days and they feared the women and children might die of hunger if the rescue did not come sooner, locals said.
After being appointed the first woman deputy commissioner of her home province Ayesha Zehri says that “it is an honour and a challenge” as the district has been adversely affected by the rains and most of the areas remain submerged in water. She says her foremost focus is “helping the victims without discrimination and distributing the aid in a transparent and efficient manner.”