As the global society is experiencing turbulent security challenges, peacekeeping exercises have overtime been identified as an indispensable mechanism to maintaining world peace and protecting human lives. Among the many countries involved in United Nations peacekeeping operations, Pakistan is one of the most prominent participants, which has operated peacekeeping missions for more than six decades. It is very laudable to note that officers from Pakistan also avoid societal norms by depicting themselves as ambassadors of peace across the globe.
A Trailblazing Journey: The role of women in Pakistani Peacekeeping
Pakistan is one of the leading countries contributing to the troops in United Nations’ missions and around 200, 000 Pakistan troops have been deployed in different UN Missions since 1960. These operations have for long been operated by men only, but with the advent of women participation in peacekeeping, it has greatly developed. Ladies from Pakistan have been participating in different operations from some of the many hostile areas worldwide including Haiti, Sudan, Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where they have played a considerable role in promoting sustainable peace.
One of the highlights was the year 2019 and the integration of the first all-female peacekeeping team to Democratic Republic of Congo by Pakistan. Assembling medical doctors, nurses, psychologists and the gender advisors, this team had a challenging task of winning the trust of the local communities and taking care of their health problems which stemmed from years of conflict. The work done by the team was praised by the United Nations and the fact that within the first few months of the employment of the team they were able to assist more than 23000 people underlines the necessity for the inclusion of women as intermediaries to facilitate interaction between peacekeepers and the needy groups.
Key Examples of Pakistani Female Peacekeepers’ Impact
A bright example of that is a Major Samia Rehman who was rewarded with the UN Medal being acknowledged as one of the most efficient peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her work on the upliftment of women and girls especially by undertaking education programs, as well as skills development in vocational work was therefore instrumental in the socio-economic transformation of persons in affected regions. Such a commitment reflects the efforts of Pakistani female officers striving to produce a change first-hand.
Another recent example is Captain Kiran Bibi of Indian origin who was posted in Darfur, Sudan with the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Some of the achievements that contributed to the achievement of the organization’s goals included: Her success in mediating local conflicting communities that significantly helped in reducing conflict in the region. Captain Kiran’s engagement in organizing community-based conflict resolution forums as a way of promoting more women in peacekeeping is also a strong proof of how women officers have got different styles of handling such missions.
In the year 2020, the Pakistani female officers serving in South Sudan were rewarded for their efforts for extension of health and psycho-social services to GBV survivors. Their work not only contributed to saving people’s lives but also to establish departmental long-term rehabilitation projects that would enable women of a certain region to regain their future in an area that was most affected by internal conflict.
The Strategic Importance of Female Peacekeepers
Research also reveals that the inclusion of the female peacekeepers enhances the functionality of the peacekeeping operations. As stated by the United Nations Department of Peace Operations female officers can communicate easier with local women that may not feel comfortable talking to male officers and colleagues. This engagement facilitates collection of intelligence, reduction of conflict and making informed decisions towards the unique challenges faced by women and children in conflicts.
The role of females in maintaining world peace especially from Pakistan is well appreciated all over the world. Female Pakistanis in Haiti were able to prevent the outbreak of cholera due to organisational hygiene activities as well as the provision of health services in 2017. This proactive approach certainly saved lives and ensured people on the necessity of having contingents of women in the peacekeeping missions, especially, in the sphere of health and other issues where the build-up of trust is the key factor.
In 2018, the United Nations accepted a Pakistani female peacekeeping contingent as one of the most efficient forces in terms of maintaining public relations in many parts of the world especially in the Central African Republic. These improved traits in its choice of officers thus make them highly effective at handling issues of sensible nature especially to do with gender, conflict resolution and humanitarian assistance in crisis thus proving to be at the core of the overall success of peacekeeping efforts.
Challenging Boundaries and Creating Benchmarks
The Pakistani female officers’ contribution in maintaining peace does not only play an active part in the theatre of operation but also goes further. Hence they are role models of toughness, tenacity, and determination, which encourages women especially in Pakistan for taking up jobs in defense, diplomacy, international relations, and other governance responsibilities. These women stepping into global peacekeeping missions breaking the norm of cultural and institutional setups in Pakistan have made a stand that Pakistani women are quite capable of holding their own in male dominated fields.
Furthermore, they help Pakistan to present itself as the country that fully obeys the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, more focus on women’s involvement in peacebuilding processes. Pakistan’s female peacekeepers, therefore, in support of this resolution are demonstrating that feminism leads to better long-lasting peace.
Challenges and Future Prospects
As we cannot deny their efficiency, all the Pakistani female peacekeepers have to cope with certain difficulties such as work in severe conditions which can be even dangerous. It also means that they can be limited by their resources, lack of financial assistance from institutions, and expectations of the society. Nonetheless, due to the rise in understanding of the governmental and military authorities of Pakistan in employing women as officers for keeping peace, the problem has gradually been compensated.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) as well as other defense related institutions of Pakistan have shown good progress in this regard. In this way, reporting of success stories in peacekeeping operations also motivated more women to join armed forces besides altering a positive perception across the world about Pakistan’s contribution for bringing peace alongside empowering women.
Conclusion: A Legacy of Peace
Pakistani female officers’ contribution to global peacekeeping is a clear indication of the country’s role that is gradually emerging in the international system. These officers have confirmed that women are very relevant in the quest for peace as they provide worthy inputs in the quest for lasting solutions to many conflicts.
However, there always must be improvement because, as Pakistan remains in the duty to contribute to global peacekeeping, its empowered female officers have to be supported. All the success stories are not only success stories for women but peace and security in the world. Where the international challenges intensify, sacrifices of Pakistani women in peacekeeping will continue to be the ray of hope, the sign of possible peace and evolution under the inclusive and sensitive management.
