Lt. General (r) Nigar Johar gets 3rd Bint-e-Hawa Achievement Award

PESHAWAR: Lieutenant General (retired) Nigar Johar, Pakistan’s first three-star female general, was honored with the prestigious third Bint-e-Hawa Achievement Award 2024, adding another significant accolade to her distinguished career.

The award was presented during a ceremony hosted by the Bint-e-Hawa Forum (BHF) in Peshawar, recognizing her remarkable contributions and achievements.

The event, held in the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, celebrated the accomplishments of Lt Gen (r) Nigar Johar and other women who have excelled in various fields. A total of 35 awards were distributed across ten categories to honor individuals for their significant contributions.

Lieutenant General Nigar Johar Khan, HI(M), TI(M), is a retired three-star general in the Pakistan Army and made history as the first and only woman to achieve the rank of lieutenant general in the Pakistan Army, as well as the third woman to reach the rank of major general.

She served in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps and held the prestigious positions of Surgeon General of the Pakistan Army and Colonel Commandant of the Army Medical Corps. Her early education was in Panjpir village in the Swabi District. Tragically, she lost both her parents and two younger sisters in a car accident, with only her brother surviving. Her husband, Johar, an engineer in the military, also passed away before her retirement.

Nigar Johar received her early education at Convent Girls High School in Rawalpindi and graduated from the Army Medical College (AMC) in 1985. She obtained a Master of Public Health degree from the Armed Forces Post Graduate Medical Institute in 2015 and completed various other qualifications and courses in medical administration.

She made history by becoming the Surgeon General of the Pakistan Army in June 2020 and served as the deputy commandant of the Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi in 2015. Among the 37 brigadiers promoted to the rank of major general, she was recognized for her exceptional service with several awards and decorations, including the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Military).