Helen Mary Roberts creates history as she becomes the first female Brigadier from a minority Christian community in the Pakistan Army.
Serving in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps, she is the first female Christian to be promoted to the rank of one-star officer. She was among the officers promoted as brigadiers and full colonels by the Selection Board.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif felicitated Helen Mary Roberts on her promotion as the one-star general.
“Brigadier Roberts, a member of the Pakistani Christian community, has made history by becoming the first woman from a minority background to achieve this prestigious rank,” the prime minister stated.
He said that the entire nation including himself extended felicitations to her. Shehbaz Sharif praised her hard work and dedication. He added that Brigadier Roberts proved that Pakistani women can achieve anything with their hard work and that they are second to none.
“The entire nation is proud of Brigadier Roberts and the thousands of hardworking women like her from minority communities who are serving the country with distinction,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army is declared the seventh most powerful army in the world. Military Strength Rankings 2023 shared the list.
Read more: Pakistan Army ranked 7th most powerful army in the world
Pakistan has jumped swiftly in the rankings in the past few years. Pakistan was ranked at the 15th spot and moved 7th spot. Global Firepower has been publishing Military Strength Rankings since 2006. Every year it ranks the militaries of all the countries on basis of potential war-making capabilities.
The list takes into account 60 factors while ranking the country’s military force. Pakistan scored 0.1694 on the Power Index. Pakistan scored better than Japan, Saudi Arabia, Italy, France, Brazil, Iran, Israel, Turkey, and Canada.
In 2022, Pakistan Army was the 9th most powerful Army in the world according to the latest rankings. It was ranked 9th spot out of 140 countries in the annual Global Firepower Index. The gradual increase in the rankings of the Pakistan Army indicates an improvement in its professional and military might.