Nigar Johar

Lieutenant General Nigar Johar Khan is a three-star general in the Pakistan Army.[2] Nigar is the first and only woman in the history of Pakistan Army to reach the rank of lieutenant-general,[3][4] and the third to reach the rank of major-general.[5] She belongs to the Pakistan Army Medical Corps and currently serves as the surgeon general of Pakistan Army and Colonel commandant of Army Medical Corps.[6] The other five women major-generals Shahida Badsha, Shahida Malik, Shehla Baqai, Abeera Chaudhry and Shazia Nisar also belong to the Army Medical Corps.[7]

Lt. Gen
Nigar Johar Khan
HI(M)
نگار جوہر
Personal details
BornSwabi, KPK, Pakistan
Spouse(s)Johar(-2019)
EducationPresentation Convent Girls High School
Alma mater
Awards
Military service
Allegiance Pakistan
Branch/service Pakistan Army
Years of service1985 – present
Rank Lt. Gen
UnitPakistan Army Medical Corps
Commands

In 2015, she was featured in an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) video honoring women in the Pakistan Armed Forces. At the time, she was the deputy commandant of the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Rawalpindi. In the video, she says, "Pakistan is my country and I was born here. I was raised here and I think there is no match to Pakistan to anywhere in the world," while adding, "Think of all the Muslim countries, think of all those developing nations. This is the only country which has had female general officers. No one else," she added.[8]

Education and background

Johar was born in Panjpir village in the Swabi District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to a Pashtun family.[9][5] Her father, Qadir, was an army colonel. Both her parents along with her two younger sisters died in a car accident in 1989.[5] Her husband, Johar, an Engineer in the military, died in 2019 due to cancer.

Johar completed her schooling through the Presentation Convent Girls High School, Rawalpindi in 1978. She joined the Army Medical College (AMC) in 1981, graduating in 1985. She is from the 5th MBBS course of the Army Medical College and has served as a female company commander of Ayesha Company at the same college. In 2010, she completed the examination for membership of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. In 2012, she completed her diploma in Advance Medical Administration through the Armed Forces Post Graduate Medical Institute and in 2015 received a Master of Public Health degree from the same institute.

Military career

On 30 June 2020 she was promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed as Surgeon General of Pakistan Army. In 2015, she was the deputy commandant of the Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi.[10] On 9 February 2017, Johar was among the 37 brigadiers who were promoted to the rank of major general. Approval for her promotions was given at an Army Selection Board meeting which was presided over by Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. She served as Vice Principal of Army Medical College. Currently she is Surgeon General of the Pakistan Army and Colonel commandant of Army Medical Corps. She also served as the commandant of Pak-Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi.

Main article: Aik Hai Nigaar

Mahira Khan portrayed Nigar in Aik Hai Nigaar, a 2021 Urdu language biographical telefilm about her life. The telefilm was directed by Adnan Sarwar and was premiered on 23 October 2021 on ARY Digital.[11][12]

References
  1. "Nigar makes history, becomes army's first female Lt Gen". The Express Tribune. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  2. The News February 12, 2017
  3. "Nigar Johar promoted to Lieutenant General first female of Pakistan Army". EMEA Tribune. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2020-06-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. "Nigar Johar becomes Pakistan Army's first female lieutenant general".
  5. "Nigar Johar becomes first female Lt Gen of Pakistan Army". The News. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  6. Dawn.com (2020-06-30). "Nigar Johar becomes Pakistan Army's first female lieutenant general". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  7. Dawn February 14, 2017
  8. "Sisters in arms: Pakistan Army honours women serving in armed forces". The Express Tribune. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  9. "Shireen Mazari calls Major General Nigar Johar Khan symbol of women empowerment". Geo News. 18 June 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  10. Tribune February 13, 2017
  11. "Mahira Khan plays 'Pakistan's first female Three star General' in 'Ek Hai Nigar'". www.thenews.com.pk. 14 August 2021.
  12. "Mahira Khan's Aik Hai Nigar to release on October 23". Images. 2021-10-14.
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