Pakistan recruits women police officers

Christian leaders in Pakistan closed schools in the mostly Muslim country, in protest of violence against members of the local Christian community.

Eight Christians were killed over the weekend when a mob of Islamic radicals attacked a Christian neighborhood near the eastern city of   Gojra. The Pakistani government says they´ve arrested some 200 involved in the attacks and will rebuild homes that were burned in the violence.
Meanwhile, the ongoing violence across the country is posing a problem in the government´s efforts to recruit police officers.  Taliban militants often target police headquarters and training facilities and last week, a police officer was found decapitated in Mingora, the main city in the Swat valley.

To increase the number of officers, the Pakistani government has started to recruit women.
This new cadre of women cops are starting as traffic officers. They will brave suicide attacks and social prejudice as they try to restore order on Pakistan´s unruly roads.

Catherine Komp reads for FSRN's reporter in Islamabad, Gabe Matthews.