Karachi, Nov 23 : A fearless woman officer of Karachi Police, who was once abandoned by relatives in her village for joining a private school, on Friday saved the lives of many Chinese diplomatic staff when heavily-armed terrorists stormed the mission in the Pakistani city.
Senior Superintendent Police Suhai Aziz Talpur led the security operation that foiled the brazen attack by members of the Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, in Karachi.
She ensured the terrorists, armed with nine hand-grenades, assault rifles, magazines and explosives, did not reach the diplomatic staff inside the consulate building. Police said the terrorists were carrying food supplies and medicines, suggesting they had planned to take hostages.
But as as soon as they reached the gates of the consulate, the police team took positions and retaliated. Two police officials were killed in the gunfight in which all the attackers were also neutralised.
Suhai hails from a lower middle-class family of Bhai Khan Talpur village in Tando Muhammad Khan district of Sindh province. She joined the police force after clearing elite Central Superior Services exam in 2013, The Express Tribune reported.
"When my parents decided to enrol me at a school, most of our relatives started taunting my family. So much so, that my family had to leave our village and move to a nearby town," she told the daily.
Her father Aziz Talpur, a political activist and writer, always dreamt big for his daughter.
"My relatives cut off ties with me because I wanted Suhai to study as they were only in favour of religious education," Aziz told the daily. "But I vowed to provide my daughter quality education."
Suhai started her primary education at a private school in Tando Muhammad Khan and joined Bahria Foundation for her intermediate studies.
Her educational path then led her to pursue B.Com from the Zubaida Girls College, Hyderabad in Sindh province.
"My family wanted me to become a chartered accountant but I found the job to be very dull as it had no social value," she said. "That is when I appeared for CSS and cleared it in the first attempt."
She credited her success to hard work and her upbringing. "My parents are nationalists. As a child, they used to emphasise that I memorise Sindhi poetry. This developed my interest in literature and history, leading me to secure top marks in both the subjects in the CSS (Central Superior Services) exams."
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New Delhi, Feb 25 (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to respond on the possibility of framing a policy over the adverse effects, including deaths, of COVID-19 vaccination after being informed about the absence of any such scheme on compensation.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was informed by the Centre, represented by additional solicitor general Aiashwarya Bhati, that the pandemic was declared a disaster and the adverse effects following immunisation (AEFI) including the deaths were not covered under it and there was no policy for compensation in such cases.
The bench, however, said that COVID-19 deaths and vaccine-related deaths should not be viewed in isolation.
"Ultimately, the entire vaccination drive was a response to the pandemic. You cannot say they are not interlinked," it said.
The law officer said there was no policy under the Disaster Management Act to deal with the AEFI following the COVID-19 immunisation.
"The COVID-19 was declared a disaster, but the vaccination drive was conducted as per the medical protocol. The AEFI mechanism assesses whether a death is directly linked to the vaccine," she said.
Bhati sought three weeks to respond to the court’s suggestion which was allowed by the bench, which posted the appeal of the Centre against a Kerala High Court order for hearing on March 18.
One Sayeeda K A, whose husband died allegedly due to the side effects of COVID vaccine, moved the Kerala High Court seeking compensation.
It was alleged that there was no specific policy to deal with the AEFI.
The high court had ordered the National Disaster Management Authority to frame a policy for identifying cases of death due to the after-effects of the COVID-19 immunisation to pay the compensation to the kith and kin of the deceased.
The top court took note of the appeal of the Centre and stayed the high court’s decision in 2023.
The Serum Institute of India, which manufactured one of the COVID-19 vaccines, has also filed a transfer petition.