Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari has tweeted to pay her respect to Nigar Johar Khan, the third woman in the country’s history to hold the rank of major general in the Pakistan Army.

“Respect. #womenempowerment,” Mazari wrote while sharing a picture of the officer.

Hailing from a Pashtun family of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Panjpir village in Swabi, Maj Gen Nigar Johar Khan is the daughter of Col Qadir, who served in the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

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She is from the 5th MBBS course of Army Medical College (AMC) and has served as female company commander of Ayesha company at the same college.

In 2015, she was featured in an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) video honouring women officers of the country’s armed forces. At the time, she was the deputy commandant of Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Rawalpindi.

Apart from being a doctor, she is a sharpshooter and is currently serving as the commandant of Pak-Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi.

The first two major generals, Shahida Badsha and Shahida Malik also belong to the Army Medical Corps. Another officer, Dr Shehla Baqai became the fourth female Major General in Pakistan Army last year.