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ASP Shehrbano hailed as a hero after rescuing woman from charged mob in Lahore

ASP Shehrbano hailed as a hero after rescuing woman from charged mob in Lahore

Sajal Aly, Mira Sethi and a host of other celebrities are praising the cop's bravery for the way she handled the situation.
26 Feb, 2024

ASP Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi is being hailed as a hero by Pakistan’s celebrities after she saved a woman from a charged mob in Lahore’s Ichra Bazaar after someone accused her of committing ‘blasphemy’ by wearing a dress bearing Arabic calligraphy.

Naqvi’s bravery is on full display in several videos that have surfaced on social media. In one clip, the police officer can be seen rescuing the woman from the bazaar while a mob hurls abuses in the background. Another sees her addressing the mob, urging them to trust the police while convincing them that no blasphemous act had been committed.

“During my service, I have handled three such incidents, and you should have trust in us [police],” she can be heard telling the mob in the clip.

Shopkeepers defended the woman and sheltered her until the police arrived. As per a Dawn report, most of the charged people in the mob were either customers, visitors or passersby and the garment traders who rescued the girl were aware of the print also being available in the market.

A video also shows the girl hiding in a shop shaking with fear of being attacked by the mob on a blasphemy charge, an allegation that has resulted in many public lynchings in the past.

ASP Shehrbano — the real hero

Celebrities are commending Naqvi for showcasing immense courage. Sharing a picture of her on Instagram, actor Sajal Aly wrote, “We need more women in power,” and we couldn’t agree more.

Actor Ayesha Omar remarked, “What a hero she is. Bravo Shehrbano.”

Mira Sethi wrote, “ASP Shehrbano rescuing a woman who happened to wear a print with Arabic words — and a crowd gathered accusing the woman of blasphemy. No words. We’ve been here before.”

Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy also shared the news of ASP Naqvi saving the day.

Director Sarmad Khoosat made a virtual salute to the officer to show his respect while actor Yashma Gill shared previous acts of heroism — involving animals — by the ASP to highlight the fact that her latest display of courage wasn’t an isolated incident.

The Punjab police has nominated Naqvi for the Quaid-e-Azam police medal. Punjab IG Dr Usman Anwar’s statement on the Punjab Police’s official X (formerly Twitter) account reads, “ASP Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi, the brave SDPO of [Gulberg] Lahore, put her life in danger to rescue a woman from a violent crowd. For this heroic deed, the Punjab Police has recommended her name for the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Police Medal (QPM), the highest gallantry award for law enforcement in Pakistan.”

Brand responds

The woman in the video was wearing clothes similar to the ones sold by Kuwait-based brand Semplicita. The brand shared a statement on Instagram to shut down speculations about its collection being linked to the Ichra case. The response seems to have been prompted by Pakistanis spamming the brand’s posts with comments about its choice to print Arabic calligraphy on its clothes.

In a statement posted on its Instgaram story, the brand said, “Dear Pakistani people, we have nothing to do with the recent incident that happened to the innocent girl. We are based in Kuwait and we do NOT ship worldwide. Please stop following and messaging since it’s really disturbing. We use Arabic words and letters in different fonts everywhere since it’s our language!”

For the record, the words printed on the dress include ‘حياة’ meaning ‘Life’ and ‘حلوة’ meaning ‘Beautiful’, as clarified by the brand in response to a query made by an Instagram user.

Comments

shyam Feb 26, 2024 04:02pm
Salute the women police officer. May her tribe grow everywhere. I call her my Betti
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Mansur Ul Haque Feb 26, 2024 04:04pm
Bravo! Sher Bano. People like you should make Punjab Police brand of bravery.
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Afaq Feb 26, 2024 04:50pm
Identify every body in the charged mob and prosecute.
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John Cool Feb 26, 2024 05:35pm
Highly commendable action by the Police officer.Howeve she was doing her duty for which she was paid to do.
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Sam Kh Feb 26, 2024 05:37pm
I think besides SherBano, the Shopkeeper who gave her refuge should also get a medal for initially saving her
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Taj Ahmad Feb 26, 2024 05:42pm
My salute to this great lady of Pakistan, bravo, bravo and bravo.
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Feroze Khan Feb 26, 2024 06:05pm
I agree, Identify every body in the charged mob and prosecute.
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HashBrown® Feb 26, 2024 07:00pm
@John Cool "Howeve she was doing her duty for which she was paid to do." If every senior authority in Pakistan was doing their job properly, do you think we would have problems like this? This officer stood tall where other officers would have given way to the mob. She is a shining light, not just for our police but for the nation.
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Ehsan Feb 26, 2024 07:43pm
What have they done to islam, everyone will need a certificate from a human to prove their faith
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Aamadmi Feb 26, 2024 07:59pm
What's the punishment for false accusations. Once all in the mob are prosecuted and punished it will make the next man jumping up to accuse think again.
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Ehsan Feb 26, 2024 08:28pm
She was brave enough to extinguish today’s fire
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Ehsan Feb 26, 2024 08:30pm
Feel extremely sorry for the girl for what she had to endure, to beg for certificate of purity from humans
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Laila Feb 26, 2024 08:34pm
Although praiseworthy under the very dangerous circumstances, she was doing her job. The same can't be said for her colleagues. So disappointing that they usually have no issue swinging sticks and batons on defenseless civilians and women, but the male officers in this case just stood there being pushed by the mob who they could've easily beaten into submission and forced to disperse. It's absolutely embarrassing that the deeply engrained ignorance of our society forced the Kuwaiti fashion brand to state that they have nothing to do with this and also using Arabic words as print on clothes is not blasphemy. Maybe it is time to mandate Arabic as a language in our schools. Thankfully the girl is safe. I can only imagine her fear with 300 so called men screaming and shouting at her to take her dress off (??) while filming her (without her consent) on their smartphones. Oh the hypocrisy.
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Kublai Khan Feb 26, 2024 08:48pm
Amazed - and very happily so - to discover this hugely positive side of Pakistan as presented by this splendid lady police officer! I salute her in deep respect.
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Imran Quraishi Feb 26, 2024 08:56pm
I am so glad not to be living with such ridiculously uncivilized people. Lack of education, religious intolerance and over religiousness is taking a toll on the people living in Pakistan. Really ashamed of the magnitude of their barbarism and satanic mind. This incident reminded me of how these religious thugs misbehaved with singer turned religious shcolar Junaid Jamshed at the airport and accused him of something he never said and did.
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gaurang Feb 26, 2024 09:14pm
Everyone is commending the lady police officer, that is fine. But what about the mindset of the violent people everywhere in pakistan who get violent with no reason at all, who is going to change that?
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Pops Feb 26, 2024 09:25pm
I think Pakistanis are in dire need of an education. Not a single person in “the mob” could read what was written on the dress. Who decided it was blasphemous?
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Amir Feb 26, 2024 09:40pm
This incident is the result of illiteracy of our people, thanks to our 'leaders' of the past decades!
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Zubish Feb 26, 2024 09:46pm
Jahil qaum ko taleem kon day ga?
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NYS Feb 26, 2024 09:54pm
GOAT Keep it up Miss Shehr Bano
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Saeed Feb 26, 2024 10:22pm
Bravo! You are my hero.
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Kris Feb 26, 2024 10:52pm
Pakistan needs more female role models like this lady. Kudos! I just wish she didn't make that little girl apologize for her clothing choice. That apology sent a very bad message to other girls out there. It is also indicative of where Pakistan is headed in the coming decades. When Iran and Afghanistan has fallen, Pakistan can't be far behind.
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Rahul Feb 26, 2024 11:07pm
Kudos to the lady ASP officer for saving that innocent girl confronting the stone-age-headed mob. And what a pitiful & shameful society Pakistani society has turned into.
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Shahzeb Arif Feb 26, 2024 11:32pm
She is not a Hero. She made the lady apologize and made video of that apology and circulated everywhere. The lady was not at fault. Its the people who are illiterate. She also showed signs of illiteracy by doing this act. The only word identified on the print was 'Hilow' which means 'beautiful' in Arabic. And our so called Mullahs went behind the lady. These Mullahs need to be prosecuted.
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Maula Jatt Feb 27, 2024 12:23am
Sherbano & the Shop Keeper are the real heroes. Arabic is a language just like any other. Not everything written in it is a Qurani Ayaat. These Jaahils need to get through thier heads
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Aman Feb 27, 2024 12:42am
This is called extremism by public!
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Yogi Feb 27, 2024 01:17am
Zara sa bhi shak ho, bas maar do ! Verify baad mein karo.
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Taj Ahmad Feb 27, 2024 03:04am
Besides rewards for Police Officer, another rewards should be given to shop owner who saved the girl from mobs until police arrived, he was smart to call police and he also risked his life and safety of his shop as well.
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farida rahman Feb 27, 2024 04:12am
Think of the previous atrocities committed in this regard. When will we grow up ? We need more sensible police officers like Sher Bano.
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Erudite Feb 27, 2024 05:00am
Mob needs to be sent to Arabic school, trashed and made to learn to read
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Realnews Feb 27, 2024 07:18am
She is really brave to get insane crowd under her control. But pity on people who donot know how to read Arabic but ready to turn barbaric.
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Habib Feb 27, 2024 07:28am
Most people are commending the police officer, but very few are condemning the inhuman and fanatical locals of the area. Strict action should be taken by the Authorities against such zealotry. The entire nation should be given a lesson that religious bigotry will not be tolerated in the country.
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Q Feb 27, 2024 07:48am
Those who can not read are reading and passing judgement on the poor girl. Thats Pakistan.
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AKL Feb 27, 2024 08:52am
Brave lady, salute
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Baqar Rizvi Feb 27, 2024 09:48am
Its commendable and more Ms. Naqvi's required.
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Moin Uddin Qureshi Feb 27, 2024 09:51am
No hope is lost among Pakistanis yet. All eyes are wet by the bravery of this Pakistani.
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Qadoos Ahmed Feb 27, 2024 09:57am
We need more such Officer in our society to control illiterate peoples, شاباش, live you long. Sherbano.
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amina zahir Feb 27, 2024 10:01am
Patriarchy at it's worst. A woman confronted a man, and you can hear in the video how his fragile ego was hurt so badly that he even risked his sanity and decency just to give the brazenly audacious girl a lesson! What a shame and international embarrassment, all just because one self- conceitedly puffed up, ignorant man was trying to affirm the superiority of his over inflated ego against a powerless woman. Sarmad khoosat showed a similar kind of scene in his Zindagi tamasha! Gladly women are not powerless anymore in this global village! Salute to the police officer whose sanity saved the day against the insanely charged male mob- trying to hold on to the last shreds of patriarchy!
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Mumtaz Ahmed Feb 27, 2024 10:36am
I hope few people from the mob should have been arrested and made example out of it.
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JustAsking Feb 27, 2024 11:37am
People cant read what's written but ready to fight !!
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aurangzain Feb 27, 2024 11:54am
a hero indeed. Salute to the daughter of soil for such bravery. mob should get arrested and get punished.
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Hassan Feb 27, 2024 01:45pm
It is good to praise the brave officer who had a courage to stand in between. At the same time what an irony it is for our country where there is no justice for any wrongdoings. Our Qazis of the world need to act!
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Hassan Feb 27, 2024 01:46pm
what people wear is none of our business!
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Tahawur Feb 27, 2024 02:21pm
Salam to the amazing lady officer Ms. Naqvi. The whole police force should learn from this one courageous and sympathetic police officer. We demand Sitara e Imtiaz for our national hero.
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khalid Nadeem Feb 27, 2024 02:26pm
Bravo Shehrbano: Your courageous actions in the face of a dangerous mob to protect innocent lives are truly commendable. SALUTE To YOU!
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Atif Khan Feb 27, 2024 09:05pm
The issue is not the enraged mob (who claimed blasphemy because a garment had Arabic words.) Our issue is the police has not taken action on the individuals who harassed the innocent girl despite having their names and faces on record.
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Basharat Feb 28, 2024 04:59am
In Pakistan, one can become a hero for doing their job as per job description. And later on, in the police station the victim was asked to apologize for the fault of those who tried to kill her for no reason. Just because they were illiterate and full of hate. By the way please also tell us, what happened to the guy who was openly threatening to kill this innocent girl with bullets and had pistol with him? Now just delete my comment as you are not brave enough to publish it.
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Shah Nawaz Bokhari Feb 28, 2024 08:30am
She has done his job well. it is soley the responsibility of the police officials to protect the citizen Pakistan. we need honest and professional police officials in our country.
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Adnan Feb 28, 2024 11:42am
Sister you did a great job. the crowd is totally illiterate. What we are doing in the name of Islam. We should think
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Ahsan Feb 28, 2024 03:25pm
This society is rotten to the core. We definitely need more women like Sherbano in power.
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Gurpreet Singh Feb 29, 2024 08:17pm
She is indeed a hero. More power to her!
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J Mar 01, 2024 03:16am
What surprises me is they made the poor women apologize for nothing.
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