The Pakistan Army on Tuesday appointed its first female lieutenant general as it promoted Nigar Johar to the rank, said a statement of the the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Lt-General Nigar Johar also holds the accolade for becoming the first Surgeon General of the Pakistan Army, the ISPR said and added she hails from the Panj Pir area of Swabi District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In 2017, Lt Gen Nigar Gohar became the third woman officer to reach the rank of major general.

Lt Gen Johar belongs to the Army Medical Corps and is the niece of Major (retd) Mohammad Aamir, a former Pakistan Army officer who served in the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Lt Gen Nigar Johar’s father Colonel Qadir also served in the ISI. He and his wife were killed in a road accident about 30 years ago.

Swabi has produced a number of male generals, but this is the first time that a woman has reached this Army rank also belonged to this district.