Women make inroads in Pakistan as they become firefighters and barriers slowly fall

Thick black smoke billowed over Karachi’s industrial zone last week as 23-year-old firefighter Syeda Masooma Zaidi raced toward a massive blaze at a tire storage facility. Amid the deafening roar of flames and stifling heat, Zaidi worked methodically alongside her all-male team, directing powerful jets of water at the burning rubber.

Hours later, their coordinated efforts brought the fire under control. While property damage reached tens of thousands of dollars, no lives were lost and nearby factories were spared. As the soot-streaked firefighters emerged from the smoke, onlookers behind safety lines erupted in cheers.

Zaidi represents a significant shift in Pakistan’s emergency services landscape, where women firefighters were virtually nonexistent until 2024. Her career highlights the gradual but important progress being made in this staunchly patriarchal society of 255 million people.

The groundbreaking moment came in 2010 when Shazia Perveen became Pakistan’s first female firefighter in Punjab province, where she now trains others. Women in Sindh province, where Karachi serves as the capital, only began joining firefighting services this year after receiving training in Punjab.

“Most Pakistani women who enter professional fields choose careers as doctors, engineers or teachers,” Zaidi explained. “I wanted to show that we can do this too.”

While women still make up less than 1% of Pakistan’s firefighting force, authorities anticipate more will join in coming years. Dr. Abid Jalaluddin Shaikh, chief of the Sindh Emergency Service, noted that Zaidi is one of 50 women firefighters in the province, with another 180 currently training as rescue divers, ambulance medics, and emergency responders.

“The focus is no longer on breaking taboos,” Shaikh said. “Now we see real results.”

Zaidi’s training at the Punjab Rescue Service Academy equipped her with specialized skills in high-angle rescues – operations involving victims trapped in skyscrapers or industrial towers – as well as various fire and water emergency techniques. Yet despite her professional qualifications, she regularly faces skepticism.

“When we arrive, people say, ‘She’s a girl — how can she rescue anyone?'” Zaidi recounted. “Every time we save a life, we prove that women can also do this job.”

Her fellow firefighter Areeba Taj, also 23, recalled missions where she and other female colleagues successfully saved lives amid chaotic and hazardous conditions. Their supervisor, Ayesha Farooq, emphasized the unique strengths women bring to emergency services, particularly when assisting women and children in crisis situations.

“By joining rescue services, they earn respect — for themselves, and for the country,” Farooq observed.

The integration of women into Pakistan’s emergency services represents a significant cultural shift in a country where traditional gender roles have long dictated career choices. The presence of women like Zaidi on the front lines of dangerous rescue operations challenges deeply entrenched stereotypes about women’s capabilities and appropriate roles in society.

Pakistan’s progress in this area comes amid broader regional discussions about women in traditionally male-dominated fields. While neighboring countries have made similar strides in police forces and military services, the integration of women into firefighting units remains relatively rare across South Asia.

For Zaidi, who grew up with seven brothers and one sister, her motivation transcends breaking barriers. “People still doubt us,” she acknowledged, “but every time we go out there, we keep proving them wrong.”

As the smoke cleared above Karachi’s industrial zone, Zaidi and her team returned to the fire station, ready for whatever emergency might come next. In a country where gender equality remains an ongoing struggle, these women demonstrate daily that courage and competence know no gender.