First female Lt-Gen

Pakistan just got its first female lieutenant general, breaking a massive glass ceiling in the process. The army announced that Major General Nigar Johar, an army doctor who is currently the commandant of Pak-Emirates Military Hospital in Rawalpindi, has been promoted. In another first, she will be posted as the surgeon general of the Pakistan Army. No woman has held that position before. She was already just the third woman to rise to the rank of major general after Shahida Malik, who retired in 2004, and Shahida Badshah, who retired in 2013. Still, keeping with the trend of ‘firsts’, Johar was also the first female major general not named Shahida. Making her story all the more interesting is that she hails from the relatively conservative Swabi area, although most of her education was in Rawalpindi.

Indeed, it is a story that all Pakistanis can get behind. Praise for the decision came from all the major opposition parties, with the focus being on how inspirational Lt Gen Johar’s story is for women and young girls. Indeed, her success is proof that women can rise to top jobs in this country, despite the stigmas and taboos that they must face. As Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif said, her promotion sends “a powerful message to our girls and women to aspire for the impossible in life”.

While it is true that even today, many women will face unfair and unnecessary hurdles in their professional lives, inspirational women such as Lt Gen Johar will be the key to shattering the patriarchy. The fact that she has reached such a senior position in the military — considered a boys’ club in every country of the world — only makes this story better. It will also encourage women to join the military because they will know for a fact that they can also rise to the top if they are good at their jobs. Indeed, it will also be inspiring for the women currently serving in the forces to know that one day, they might emulate Johar.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2020.

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