Udhampur:
As Neelofer prepares to leave the police training academy in Udhampur in south Kashmir, there is a look of pride and patriotism on her face. And justifiably so. In her early 20s, she is part of the first batch of women crack commandos of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, trained to participate in counter-insurgency operations in the state.
"We were told that women can't do anything, but we have learnt at this academy that women can do anything. After doing this commando course, we also feel that we can achieve something in life," said Neelofer, who spent her childhood in Srinagar, once a hot bed of militancy.
Along with 80 others, Neelofer has been imparted special counter-insurgency training to fight militants. Since they are locals, they are well-versed with the topography and are better connected with the population.
But the ratio is still heavily skewed with less than a thousand women comprising the 80,000-strong Jammu and Kashmir police. But the likes of Neelofer point towards an encouraging trend of women aspiring to join the forces, dominated by men.
"We are proud of these girls, they have shown great dedication. They are well-trained and ready to face on any challenge for the security of the nation," said Farooq Khan, Director, Sher-e-Kashmir Police Academy in Udhampur.
At a time when the government plans to slowly phase out central forces from the state, it's the state police which will have to take on a more prominent role in the fight against militancy. And it is women commandos like Neelofer who will play a critical role in the process of restoring normalcy in the state.