ISLAMABAD: Pakistani fashion model Erica Robin bagged the first ever ‘Miss Universe Pakistan’ title on Thursday, effectively becoming the first woman who will go on to represent the South Asian country in the global beauty pageant in November.

The competition was organized by Dubai-based company Yugen Group, which announced in March that it had acquired the rights to Miss Universe Pakistan. Yugen said it would be responsible for sending the first Pakistani representative to the global Miss Universe competition, the most prestigious international beauty pageant held every year since 1952. This year’s Miss Universe competition is scheduled to be held in November at El Salvador.

This year’s Miss Universe will, for the first time ever, feature a Pakistani woman who will take part in the global competition among contestants from over 90 countries. Robin was crowned Miss Universe Pakistan after beating four other finalists who were selected from a pool of over 200 contestants from around the world, the organizers said.

“I am honored and humbled to be the first ever Miss Universe Pakistan and I want to highlight the beauty of Pakistan,” Robin wrote on Instagram. “We have a beautiful culture that the media is not talking about, Pakistani people are very generous, kind and hospitable,” she added.

The Pakistani model invited people to try the country’s “sumptuous cuisines” and explore Pakistan’s snow-capped mountains, its greeneries and progressive landscapes.

Jessica Wilson, 28, was the first runner-up in the competition. The Pakistani model, who is a cybersecurity engineer, lost to Robin along with the other three finalists, Malyka Alvi, 19, Sabrina Wasim, 26, a property consultant and Hira Inam, 24.

Yugen Group, the competition’s organizer, also owns the franchise rights to Miss Universe Bahrain and Miss Universe Egypt.