ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's first group of
female paratroopers completed their training, the military announced,
hailing it as a “landmark achievement” for the country.
Captain Kiran Ashraf was declared
the best paratrooper of the batch of 24, the military said in a statement,
while Captain Sadia, referred to by one name, became the first woman officer to
jump from a MI-17 helicopter.
Women have limited opportunities in
Pakistan's highly traditional, patriarchal society. The United Nations says
only 40 per cent of adult women are literate, and they are frequently the
victims of violence and abuse.
But in 2006 seven women broke into
one of Pakistan's most exclusive male clubs to graduate as fighter pilots --
perhaps the most prestigious job in the powerful military and for six decades
closed to the fairer sex.
After three weeks' basic airborne
training, which included exit, flight and landing techniques, the new
paratroopers completed their first jump on Sunday and were given their “wings”
by the commander of Special Services Group, Major General Abid Rafique, the
military said.
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