ISLAMABAD: The military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), confirmed on Saturday the army had promoted the first Christian female officer to the rank of brigadier in Pakistan while responding to an Arab News query.
Brig. Helen Mary Roberts is affiliated with the Army Medical Corps and has made history as the first female army officer from a religious minority to reach this rank in the country’s 76-year history.
Women have been integral to the medical corps for decades and have more recently begun to join combat divisions as soldiers. Other members of minority religious communities have also joined the Pakistan military and risen to prominent positions.
“She is the first female officer from a minority community to achieve this rank,” ISPR said in a brief response confirming Brig. Roberts’ promotion.
Muslim-majority Pakistan has strived for religious inclusivity in recent years amid continuing social challenges for minority communities.
Last year, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir commended the role played by the country’s Christian community in its development during a Christmas celebration at Christ Church in Rawalpindi.
He praised their contributions to promoting quality education, health care and philanthropy, as well as their notable contributions to national defense.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain instructed the country’s Hajj welfare staff in Saudi Arabia on Saturday to proactively guide pilgrims in various Pakistani languages, ensuring that these religious devotees can perform their spiritual journey as conveniently as possible.
Hussain issued this instruction during an orientation session held by Pakistan’s Hajj mission in the kingdom to familiarize support staff in Makkah with the pilgrims’ needs.
According to official statistics, Pakistan has decided to employ 550 individuals to assist pilgrims during this year’s Hajj, not including the doctors and paramedics providing medical facilities to Pakistani pilgrims in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
The minister emphasized the need for effective communication, asking the Hajj mission to deploy guides fluent in different Pakistani dialects at the Grand Mosque and other sacred places.
“This move will enhance the experience of pilgrims and help them navigate the area with comfort, given Pakistan’s multicultural nature and linguistic diversity,” he said.
He urged the Hajj mission to ensure the pilgrims were provided with the best possible facilities and services during their stay in the kingdom and to show greater compassion and empathy toward them.
He also instructed the guides to be deployed at bus stations to facilitate pilgrims’ commutes from one point to another.
Hussain further asked the Hajj welfare crew to perform their responsibilities with devotion, highlighting that serving the pilgrims was a “sacred duty.”
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and requires every adult Muslim to undertake the journey to the holy Islamic sites in Makkah at least once in their lifetime if they are financially and physically able.
Pakistan has a quota of 179,210 pilgrims. The annual Islamic pilgrimage is expected to take place from June 14 to June 19 this year.