In a routine operational training mission, a female Pakistani fighter pilot has been killed as her trainer jet crashed near Kundian, Mianwali. Flying Officer Marium Mukhtiar was one of the few women fighter pilots in a largely male dominated profession and the first woman to die on active duty. Marium succumbed to her injuries at a nearby military hospital she was shifted to along with Squadron Leader Saqib Abbasi, who sustained injuries. Reportedly, the aircraft encountered a serious in-flight emergency during the final stages of the mission. A PAF FT-7PG aircraft was involved in the accident and an air force investigation team is already probing for a possible cause. In a BBC interview last year, Marium discussed the challenges she faced as a woman fighter pilot in a society that doesn’t approve of women taking on a male-dominated occupation that only started inducting women for the most prestigious job in 2006. Pakistan is a highly traditional and patriarchal society where such opportunities for women remain limited if not non-existent, but according to a New York Times report in June, there are now 21 female fighter pilots in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). Marium was laid to rest with full military honours in her hometown Karachi. Despite a clean and efficient PAF record, crashes are unavoidable even in the most technologically advanced militaries. Although an unfortunate victim of tragedy, Marium was not just an exemplary woman trained as a highly skilled pilot along with her male colleagues, but till the very last minute displayed commendable ‘professionalism and courage’ as she and her copilot manoeuvred the aircraft to avoid property damage and civilian casualties. Training combat ready fighter pilots is an expensive and diligent ordeal; it is rather poignant to lose a woman who is a pioneer in her field. Marium has proven that there is no such thing as a glass barrier obstructing a woman’s success and through her hard work and commitment she made her way to the ‘top guns’ of the air force. Her death is a tragedy but her life was an inspiration. Her reason for choosing a tough job was the PAF’s discipline. Women are an integral part of society. It is rare to see them being given the opportunity to hone their professional skills but it is even more unusual to see them taking the weight and responsibility of their respective jobs. Some might say women have a physical disadvantage, and Marium herself acknowledged these physical limitations. Nevertheless, her experience at the academy was what groomed her personality and gave her a proud and new identity.*