23/05/2019
Bahawalpur-born Ayesha Farooq is one of the first women to become a fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force.
Farooq admits that she has always been the breadwinner of the family, particularly after her father, who was a doctor, passed away when she was only three years old. In a media interview, she says: “I was always the man of my family.”
Speaking at the Aga Khan University (AKU) in Karachi, Ayesha adds that it was her mother’s influence that taught her the skills to take care of herself and help others:
“My mother raised me to be strong, to a point that if one day, I was left alone, I would be able to take care of myself.”
Her steely determination to do the right thing and support her mother and sisters seem to have naturally progressed into a career as a fighter pilot. While she understands the job is not seen as one open to women, she is happy to have been welcomed as an equal by her male colleagues:
“It’s not a job that people here associate with ladies, so as well as doing a job for my country, I’m changing the thoughts of people. It’s a big responsibility but one I enjoy.”