Pakistani female major says working with UN peacekeeping mission an honour for women

A Pakistani female peacekeeper has said that working under the flag of United Nations for peace and stability is an honor for the women peacekeepers.

Pakistan Army’s Major Samia Rehman’s experience as a peacekeeper in the Democratic Republic of Congo was shared on the official Twitter of the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO).

"Working under UN flag and wearing blue beret for peace and stability in the DRC is an honour for the women peacekeepers," said Major Rehman. The major has been carrying out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions for effective air operations in the war-torn country.

Pakistani female peacekeepers deployed in DR Congo have been lauded by the UN and US officials multiple times.

Last month, Pakistan’s female peacekeepers, part of MONUSCO, were awarded a UN medal at a ceremony in Adikivu in South Kivu, one of the provinces of the central African country.

The team of 15 female officers, who serve at the ranks of major and captain, have been stationed in the war-torn country since June last year.

The officers are psychologists, stress counsellors, vocational training officers, gender advisors, doctors, nurses, operations officers, information officers and logistics officers.

Also read: Award-winning team of female peacekeepers from Pakistan inspire US diplomat Alice Wells

Pakistan has a long history of sending its troops to various UN peacekeeping missions and has also been recognised as one of the largest contributors of troops and police for decades.

According to the UN, Pakistani troops are currently serving in seven UN operations, with the vast majority of them deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Darfur region of Sudan and the Central African Republic.